India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned after weeks of protests over exam paper leaks and testing irregularities.
The demonstrations were spearheaded by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) – not a real party, but a satirical campaign turned national movement.
The protests became one of the biggest displays of dissent against Narendra Modi’s government in years, with thousands camping in Delhi as demonstrations spread nationwide
The movement gathered momentum last week after activist Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly taken to hospital. He ended his 26-day hunger strike on Friday.
A police crackdown on protesters marching to parliament also sparked public fury.
Protesters adopted “cockroach” after a senior judge used the term for some unemployed young people, reclaiming it as a symbol of resilience and defiance.
‘We have done it’: CJP founder
As news of Pradhan’s resignation broke, huge celebration erupted at the CJP’s main protest site in central Delhi.
“We have done it,” a visibly emotional Abhijeet Dipke, CJP’s founder, screamed from the makeshift stage amid deafening cheers from the crowds.
He then went on to thank everyone for their efforts and support and made a special mention of the students who had been on a hunger strike for weeks alongside activist Sonam Wangchuk.
‘Fight still not over’: CJP
The CJP has put out a statement by its founder Dipke on X saying the fight is not over.
He says the families of students who died by suicide after a key medical exam was cancelled must receive compensation – a demand he says the group will not drop.
Dipke also renewed calls for action against police officers he accused of using excessive force against protesters on 20 July when thousands of CJP supporters tried to march to Parliament.
“Remember, do not mess with [the] cockroach,” he added.
What is the Cockroach Janta Party?
The CJP has emerged as one of India’s biggest youth protest movements, despite not being a political party.
The group was formed after the chief justice of India likened some unemployed young people to “cockroaches”. He later said he was referring specifically to people with “fake and bogus degrees”, but by then, the term had taken a life on its own.
Many young people – frustrated by rising unemployment and irregularities in competitive exams – embraced it, turning the insect into a symbol of defiance and resilience.
Led by Abhijeet Dipke, the CJP campaigned for reforms to India’s education system, greater accountability over exam paper leaks and the resignation of Pradhan.
The movement quickly gained a huge following online and later drew tens of thousands to protesters in the capital.
Source: BBC
