The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Friday said its protest over the NEET paper leak would continue until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns, even after education reform activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike following government assurances.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the party welcomed Wangchuk’s decision to end his fast, given concerns over his health, but stressed that the movement’s central demand remained unchanged.
“Our protest will continue until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns. We are very happy and relieved that Sonam sir has ended his hunger strike, which had lasted over 26 days. His life is extremely precious to this country,” Dipke told reporters.
He also said the party was open to talks with the Centre but insisted that any meeting should be held at a neutral venue.
“Our demonstration will go on until Dharmendra Pradhan steps down. Any meeting must take place at a neutral location or venue. Nothing less than the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan will be accepted,” he added.
Another CJP leader, Ashutosh Ranka, said the protest at Jantar Mantar would continue despite the government’s assurances to Wangchuk.
“There is a meeting with JP Nadda Ji at the CCI scheduled for 12:30. As far as we have been told, Jitendra Singh Ji might also be present there. Whatever is discussed will be shared with you all. We have also organised a press conference at 11:00, where we will provide more details,” he said.
Ranka noted that while Wangchuk had called off his hunger strike, the wider campaign would continue until the Education Minister resigned.
Referring to a video released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ranka claimed the government was under increasing public pressure.
“Finally, we noticed that for the first time, the Prime Minister had to release a selfie video at 12 midnight, which shows that the pressure is very high. Prime Minister, you said that today you want to take very strict action; for us the strictest action would be to remove Dharmendra Pradhan. If you remove him quickly, then we will believe that you are truly serious about the youth of this country,” he said.
CJP spokesperson Deepak Balyan also dismissed the government’s assurances, saying they were not enough to end the agitation.
“CJP’s clear call is that this protest will continue indefinitely until Dharmendra Pradhan (Union Education Minister) resigns. PM Modi says cases will be tried in fast-track courts, but those are just words; we don’t trust them because the youth have been cheated many times before. The youth feel betrayed and are troubled,” Balyan said.
Wangchuk ended his fast earlier in the day after the Centre assured him that Parliament would discuss examination reforms and accountability, that peaceful protesters would not face legal action, and that compensation for families of students who died by suicide following the recent NEET paper leak was under consideration. However, the CJP has maintained that the protest will continue until its demand for Pradhan’s resignation is met.
Bureau Report
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