Jantar Mantar in Delhi saw hundreds of people turn out on Saturday to participate in a protest called by the political satirical Cockroach Janta Party to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in several entrance and recruitment exams. During the protest, CJP founder Abhijit Debaki, who traveled from the US to join the demonstration, said the protesters were not “afraid”.
Debaki, who was studying at Boston University, said that his mother was more worried and crying when he returned than when he left for the United States because she was afraid that he would be arrested when he arrived in India. Debaki had earlier also expressed his fear that he might be arrested if he comes to India after the launch of the CJP. But, while speaking to the protesters, he conveyed the message that the country’s youth are not “afraid.”
“This is not just my mother’s fear, this is my father’s fear, any young man who talks about politics… How long will we live in fear? Tell them, we are not afraid,” Debke said.
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He also said that before landing at Delhi airport on Saturday morning, he felt as if these were his last few moments of freedom. He added: “I was fully prepared to sacrifice my freedom for this cause.”
However, upon his arrival, Debaki was not arrested and Delhi Police granted permission to hold the protest as well.
“Youth is not a puppet”
On the other hand, without directly referring to the protest and the CJP, BJP president Nitin Nabeen sought to make a veiled mockery of the movement and Debki and said that India’s youth are not a “puppet” of anyone.
In Ranchi, Nabin said on Saturday, in an indirect reference to the APC and its founder, that “some people outside assume that they can give directions to the youth of India.”
“Today’s youth want to work to build the nation and secure their future. But some forces are trying to make the country’s youth anti-establishment,” he said.
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He also issued a warning to those who try to steer Indian youth towards “negative politics” that they will only choose “positive politics”.
Nabin also said that although people have the right to dissent, it must be done within democratic norms.
“The anti-establishment campaigns we have witnessed in our neighboring states can never be for the youth of the country, who will work in a disciplined manner to build the nation,” the BJP president said.
CJP protest to go nationwide?
Hours after shouting slogans demanding punishment for the Delhi summer on Saturday, the protest was called off during the latter half of the day, only for the organizers to give the government a one-week ultimatum to either sack Dharmendra Pradhan or tender his voluntary resignation or the protest would spread across the country.
“We are giving seven days to the government. Either Dharmendra Pradhan must resign respectfully or Prime Minister Narendra Modi must sack him. If his resignation does not come within seven days, this movement will spread across the country,” CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said.
“It is time to reset our education system and we are starting to reset it today,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
