Education system rotten; protesters are vaccines not viruses: Abhijeet Dipke of Cockroach Janta Party

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Calling for sweeping reforms in the country’s education system, Abhijeet Dipke, chief of the Cockroach Janta Party, said on Monday that the current crisis extends far beyond isolated paper leaks.

He asserted that “the education system itself is rotten” and characterised those protesting for reform as “the vaccine, not the virus”.Dipke was addressing a large gathering of students outside the divisional commissioner’s office in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. He was joined by NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar.Referring to the ongoing 16-day agitation at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Dipke emphasised the demand for structural reforms. He also expressed grave concern over the deteriorating health of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike for the past nine days.“It is not just about one examination paper leaking. The entire education system has deep-seated defects that must be corrected. Those fighting for these reforms are not a virus; they are the vaccine,” Dipke said.Launching a sharp attack on Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Dipke took exception to alleged remarks describing protesters as “terrorists.” He claimed that approximately 20 students across the country had died by suicide following the NEET paper leak controversy and held the Central govt responsible for the tragedy.

“Before labelling us terrorists, the govt must answer for the deaths of these students. This is not merely an issue for NEET aspirants; it is a crisis affecting the nation’s entire educational framework,” he said.Despite intermittent rain, the speech drew an enthusiastic response from competitive exam aspirants. Dipke appealed to students from the Marathwada region to join the Jantar Mantar agitation in larger numbers to increase pressure on the government.The protest, led by MLA Rohit Pawar, sought to mobilise public anger over alleged irregularities in various examinations, including the recent Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) leak. A key demand raised by the students was for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) to conduct examinations in offline mode rather than online, arguing that the current system lacks transparency and credibility.Addressing the crowd, Rohit Pawar highlighted various recruitment irregularities and reiterated his commitment to the students’ cause.

Having previously championed farm loan waivers, Pawar stated that he would now lead a sustained agitation against the culture of paper leaks.Invoking Dr B R Ambedkar’s slogan “educate, organise, and egitate,” the protesters raised slogans demanding systemic changes. Dipke began his address with the slogan “Jai Bhim,” while the crowd called for a complete overhaul to restore faith in the examination process.Following the demonstration, Dipke announced his return to New Delhi to continue the Jantar Mantar protest, urging the youth of Marathwada to strengthen the movement through sustained public pressure.