Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan during a protest in Delhi.
The demand signals an escalation in public frustration over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam, which protesters said have compromised the futures of millions of students.
Speaking at Jantar Mantar, Dipke called Pradhan an incompetent and failed minister. He said that an incompetent and failed minister cannot remain in office and should not be more important than the lives of crores of students [2]. Dipke linked the minister's continued tenure to a direct threat to the academic lives of students across India [2].
Dipke warned that the focus of the protest would expand if the government does not act. "Modi ji, I once again request you to accept Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation," Dipke said. "Otherwise, the issue will not remain limited to Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation alone; it will come for your resignation also" [3].
The protest at Jantar Mantar has seen thousands of participants [1] and has continued for seven days [2]. Dipke said that if Modi does not fire Dharmendra Pradhan, the Prime Minister is responsible too [1].
The CJP founder has used the platform to pressure the administration to take accountability for the examination system's failures. The movement at Jantar Mantar remains focused on systemic reform, and the immediate removal of the Education Minister to address the grievances of the student body.
“"An incompetent and failed minister can't remain in office and should not be more important than the lives of crores of students."”
The escalation from demanding a cabinet minister's resignation to targeting the Prime Minister reflects a growing trend of accountability protests in India. By linking the failures of the NEET-UG exam directly to the top leadership, the Cockroach Janta Party is attempting to transform a specific policy grievance into a broader referendum on the administration's competence.
