NEW DELHI: India’s youth-led Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) continued its protest in the capital on Tuesday against unemployment and failures in the country’s education system, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the leak of question papers for the national medical college entrance examination.
Leaders of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) said they would decide their next course of action after the government announces an expected cabinet reshuffle. The youth-led party’s protest demanding the resignation and accountability of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan entered its eleventh day.
The sit-in at Jantar Mantar in central New Delhi has drawn widespread support, including social activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is on the third day of a hunger strike in solidarity with the young protesters.
The demonstrations come amid Indian media reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is considering a cabinet reshuffle, with Pradhan among the ministers who could be moved from their portfolios.
“We are waiting to see what the government decides because there are reports of a cabinet reshuffle. Once that announcement comes, we will decide the next course of action,” CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke told reporters at the protest site.
Youth protest gathers support
Hundreds of CJP supporters have been gathering daily at the protest venue, according to organisers.
Dipke said heavy police deployment and restrictions on the entry of supporters had continued as the protest continued for the second week.
“With each passing day, more people are coming here from different parts of India,” he said while addressing supporters alongside Wangchuk from a makeshift stage beneath a banner calling for Pradhan’s removal.
The Cockroach Janata Party, established last month, has gained 22 million followers on Instagram within days of its launch.
The group describes itself as representing “the lazy, the unemployed, and the chronically correct”.
Hunger strike raises concern
Wangchuk’s health deteriorated on the third day of his hunger strike, according to CJP leaders.
Party spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said Wangchuk’s blood sugar level had fallen to 66 and urged authorities to take his condition seriously.
Ranka said Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan would bear responsibility if Wangchuk’s health worsened.
On Monday, Wangchuk reiterated his demand for accountability and reforms in India’s education system, including Pradhan’s resignation.
Speaking from the protest venue, Wangchuk said he intended to continue his fast for up to six weeks unless he died first.
“But hopefully, we don’t have to go that far,” he said while lying at the protest venue.
Demand for minister’s resignation
The CJP is demanding Pradhan’s resignation over the leak of question papers for India’s national medical college entrance examination.
The examination, taken by about 2.3 million candidates, was cancelled after question papers were leaked.
The rapid rise of the CJP has highlighted growing frustration among young Indians over employment prospects and examination irregularities.
Government data showed India’s unemployment rate among those aged 15 to 29 was nearly 10 percent, rising to 13.6 percent in urban areas.
Young people have also expressed anger over repeated examination paper leaks, which have fuelled concerns about transparency in competitive recruitment and admissions.
