NEW DELHI: On the eve of its second demonstration at Jantar Mantar, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday made a unique appeal to protesters, asking them to bring a "thali" (plate) and "chammach" (spoon) to the protest. The youth-led movement has been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak and related issues.
In a video shared by the organization on social media, Dipke said: "All the cockroaches joining tomorrow's protest at 1 pm at Jantar Mantar should carry a 'thali' and a 'chammach' with you. You know the rest of the story." This statement appeared to be a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's March 2020 appeal for citizens to clap and bang utensils from their balconies to express gratitude to frontline workers during the Covid-19 outbreak. Since then, banging utensils has emerged as a popular form of protest.
Earlier, CJP announced that it had received permission from the Delhi Police for the protest, which will take place two weeks after its first demonstration at the same venue. The NEET (UG) re-exam is scheduled for Sunday. Over 22 lakh students appeared for the exam on May 3, but it was cancelled days later after the paper leak came to light.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating the case. CJP was launched as an online satirical platform last month, days after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s "cockroach" remarks during a hearing. However, the Chief Justice later clarified that he had been misquoted and that his comments were specifically directed at people entering professions using "fake and bogus degrees."
Dipke, who was based in Boston at the time, flew to Delhi on the morning of its first protest. Since then, the group has been holding demonstrations in various cities, demanding the resignation of Pradhan or seeking his removal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
