The Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke addressed a gathering at the Golden Gate in Amritsar as part of the party's nationwide protest demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Speaking to students and youth, Dipke invoked Shaheed Bhagat Singh and highlighted the farmers' protest to rally support for the movement.
Dipke emphasized the importance of Punjab's support for the youth movement, stating, "Our youth movement cannot succeed without Punjab's support." He criticized the central government for taking the youth for granted and called for accountability. "We demanded that Dharmendra Pradhan resign by June 13. Today, I have come to the heart of Punjab to seek your support in holding this government accountable," he said.
Arriving nearly an hour late due to traffic, Dipke recalled his visit to the Singhu border during the farmers' movement. He condemned the government's labeling of protesters as anti-nationals, asking, "They called Punjab's farmers 'Pakistani', they called me 'Pakistani', and they called students who exposed CBSE's lapses 'Pakistani'. Then who is an Indian?" The crowd responded with slogans against Prime Minister Modi and the BJP.
Earlier, Dipke paid obeisance at the Golden Temple under special police escort. He denied any political motive behind taking the movement to poll-bound Punjab, especially on the day former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar called supporters of CJP 'anti-national'. Dipke clarified, "It's a student movement, a movement led by youth, for the youth, for justice and accountability."
Among the attendees was Jagbir Singh, a 65-year-old farmer from near Fatehgarh Churian, whose farms were destroyed in the Ajnala floods. He saw Dipke as a hope for Punjab's youth, saying, "Koi teh saddi gall sunega, saddi gall karega." Jyoti Kumar, a BEd graduate from Beas aspiring for an ETT job, expressed frustration over lack of job vacancies and delayed appointments. A businessman from Ludhiana and students from Jalandhar also traveled to Amritsar for the protest.
