New Delhi, 12 June– The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke kept his promise to take the agitation across the country joining a student-led protest in Lucknow on Friday at Eco Garden, intensifying a nationwide struggle to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including the NEET paper leak controversy.
Tensions flared at the Eco Garden protest site in Lucknow today as the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) nationwide agitation against Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took a dramatic turn. As students and youth gathered to demand accountability for systemic examination failures, the demonstration was interrupted by a confrontation involving a group of individuals who clashed with protesters, eventually leading to their removal by security personnel.
CJP spokesperson Piyush Rai took to the social media platform X to share footage of the incident, labelling the individuals removed from the site as “anti-cockroaches.” The video capture depicts the chaotic moments where these men were escorted away from the venue, drawing a sharp divide between the activists and the intruders.
The atmosphere at the site grew increasingly volatile following the release of an earlier video by the CJP, which featured the same men wearing saffron-colored tilaks. In the clip, the individuals issued a chilling ultimatum, suggesting that the protest would not remain peaceful if ideological boundaries were crossed.
“It’s better as long as the country runs by the Constitution and continues to do so,” one of the men was heard stating in the recording. “If we pick up the Bhagavad Gita in our hands, there will be chaos. The Mahabharata will be reenacted.”
The Lucknow gathering is the latest stop in the CJP’s rapidly expanding movement, which has already seen significant turnouts in Delhi and Pune. Founder Abhijeet Dipke, who has spearheaded the demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, arrived in the capital city to stand in solidarity with local students and job seekers.
The CJP’s agitation centres on persistent irregularities in national competitive examinations, including the NEET-UG, which the party argues have jeopardised the futures of millions of aspirants. Despite the friction at the protest site, Dipke has consistently maintained that the movement remains rooted in constitutional principles, urging supporters to stay focused on the demand for systemic reform and ministerial accountability.
As the CJP continues its march across Indian cities, including planned demonstrations in Jaipur, Amritsar, and Bengaluru, the leadership has upped the stakes. The party has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Union government, warning that if their demands for a formal inquiry and the resignation of the Education Minister are not met, they will mobilise for an indefinite sit-in at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 20.
For now, the focus in Lucknow remains on the persistence of the youth-led collective, which is determined to ensure that their message, that the future of one crore students outweighs the tenure of a single minister, is heard loud and clear by the administration in New Delhi.
After holding protests in Delhi, Pune and Lucknow, Dipke today announced that the CJP’s next protest would be held in Amritsar on June 13. The youth-led movement that is being touted as India’s ‘Gen Z revolt’ has been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and seeking justice and accountability for the NEET and CBSE examination fiasco.
Taking to X and Instagram, Dipke said the CJP would be hosting a peaceful protest at Amritsar’s Golden Gate at 4 pm on June 13 and appealed to students and volunteers to join them. The nationwide movement that has spilled over from online forums to the streets has mobilised and united youth over concerns regarding India’s education system and stirred dialogue on the need for reforms.
With Punjab gearing up for Assembly elections in 2027, the state’s political parties are busy hustling on ground to draw a poll map. If it proves to be successful in mobilising the state’s youth, the Cockroach Janata Party’s protest might stir political heat in poll-bound Punjab.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
