New Delhi: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Member of Parliament Manoj Jha on Thursday confirmed that he assisted the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in organising a press conference at Delhi's Constitution Club. However, he clarified that he was only informed that they wanted to hold a press conference and was not told anything else.
A recommendation letter from a sitting MP is required to hold press conferences at the Constitution Club. Jha stated, "You have seen my letter. If you read its contents, it concerns a journalist with whom I was connected on social media, as well as some of my colleagues from Delhi University who happen to be my seniors. I was informed that they needed to organise a specific event, a press conference, and nothing else."
Jha added that he routinely provides recommendation letters to civil society organisations for conducting press conferences at the Constitution Club. He denied any hidden motive behind issuing the letter, saying, "I was simply told that they needed to organise an event, and the letter itself states this clearly and unequivocally. I observe that many media colleagues, without verifying facts or even glancing at the actual contents of my letter, are now attributing motives."
The Rajya Sabha member, who is also a Delhi University professor, refused to comment on the CJP movement, stating that he does not offer comments on movements whose ideology lacks clarity. He remarked that a positive outcome of the incident is that if anyone approaches him in the future requesting space, he will now conduct a proper inquiry before issuing a recommendation letter.
CJP Press Conference and Planned Protest
During the press conference on Wednesday, CJP, an online satirical platform, announced that it will hold a protest at Jantar Mantar—the designated site for demonstrations in the capital—on Saturday over the recent NEET paper leak and the CBSE online marking issue. Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of CJP, will arrive in Delhi at 8 am on the day of the protest. Dipke, who studies in the United States, has urged his supporters to meet him at the Delhi airport, from where they plan to march to Parliament Street police station to seek permission for their demonstration demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Background of CJP
CJP was formed last month, days after Chief Justice of India (CJI) Suryakant's remarks calling unemployed youth "cockroaches." The CJI later clarified that he was misquoted and that his comments were taken out of context. He stated that he was referring to those who sneak into noble professions using fake degrees and added that he is "very proud" of India's youth. Currently, CJP has more than 20 million (2 crore) Instagram followers, surpassing both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in follower count.
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