The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which organized a protest led by its founder Abhijeet Dipke at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Saturday demanding the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, warned that the agitation would expand across the country if he is not dismissed or does not resign voluntarily.
Seven-Day Ultimatum
Addressing a press conference, CJP spokespersons Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das said the protest had drawn participants from several states and marked the beginning of a broader youth movement centered on education and governance issues. Ranka stated, "We are giving the government seven days. Either Dharmendra Pradhan should resign respectfully, or Prime Minister Narendra Modi should sack him. If his resignation does not come within seven days, this movement will spread throughout the country."
The organizers claimed they were receiving messages from supporters in different states expressing readiness to hold peaceful demonstrations and said the group would wait for a week before announcing its next course of action.
Youth-Led Movement
Describing the turnout on Saturday as a significant moment, Ranka said the protest demonstrated that young people were willing to mobilize around issues affecting them. "June 6, 2026, will be written in history because today the politics of this country has completely changed," he said, adding that many young people who were often discouraged from taking to the streets had come together for a peaceful demonstration.
The organizers repeatedly projected the protest as a youth-led campaign and sought to frame it as a response to concerns surrounding the education system. "The time has come to reset our education system, and we have started that reset today," Ranka said, asserting that the demand for Pradhan's resignation was the immediate focus of the movement.
Demand for Resignation
According to Ranka, removing the education minister was necessary if meaningful reforms were to be undertaken. "Until this Education Minister is there, we will not be able to improve the education system of this country," he said. While maintaining that the resignation demand remained the top priority, Ranka indicated that the campaign would continue beyond that issue. "This is just the beginning. There are so many problems of the youth of this country," he said, arguing that concerns relating to education had not received adequate attention.
Asked whether the mobilization should be viewed as a protest, a movement, or a political platform, Ranka described it as "a platform for the youth," "a collective for the youth," and "a movement for the youth," while leaving open how it may evolve in the future. The organizers also rejected suggestions that the mobilization was linked to any established political formation and described themselves as "pro-youth, pro-education, pro-Constitution and pro-India."
Peaceful Protest
Ranka claimed the turnout had exceeded expectations and emphasized that the gathering remained peaceful despite the crowds. "It was such a huge crowd, and yet it remained a very, very peaceful protest. Maybe one of the most peaceful protests the country has seen in a while," he said. "The Gen Z and the youth of this country have Gandhi and Ambedkar in their blood," he added, thanking participants who had traveled from different parts of the country to attend the event.
Saurav Das said people from several states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and those in the Northeast, had joined the protest. He also referred to online support for the campaign, claiming that hundreds of thousands of people had signed petitions seeking the minister's resignation.
Government Response Sought
Asked if they would send any representation to Pradhan or request a meeting, Ranka said, "Why doesn't he just resign." Das said several other student groups have written to the minister over the issue but have not received any response. "The youth wants to talk, but when the government is not talking, that is when they are getting on the road," Das said. He also thanked Delhi Police for facilitating the demonstration and said maintaining peace had been a priority for the organizers. "We are very happy that the Delhi Police's priority was peaceful demonstration," he said.
The protest was called by Dipke, who started the online satirical account of the Cockroach Janta Party, also called 'CJP,' amid demands for accountability over recent developments in the education sector. Earlier in the day, Dipke had urged Pradhan to step down by 5 pm, with organizers later announcing the seven-day deadline for action by the minister or the government.
