Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday invited Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to visit and show support for the ongoing KJP protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Thackeray expressed his support for the group and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk as he called for more support for the protest.
Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai, the UBT chief said that he would visit the protest site, and invited Rahul Gandhi to visit as well.
“I will go too. Rahul Gandhi must also go. Everyone who trusts the youth of the country must go. People across the country must take to the streets to support them,” he said.
As reported by HT, Thackeray is scheduled to travel to Delhi on July 20 to visit Jantar Mantar and join the ongoing protest.
The Cockroach Janta Party, joined by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, called for an indefinite sit-in on June 20 at Jantar Mantar. The group, led by Abhijit Debaki who has returned to Boston, has called for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over various examination irregularities, such as leakage of NEET-UG papers.
Opposition leaders supporting CJP and Gandhi are yet to emerge
Several opposition leaders have backed the protest party called the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ – named after a comment by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant – and expressed their support for their movement.
Leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party, Trinamool Congress, CPI and others either expressed their solidarity or visited the protest site at Jantar Mantar.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh and former Delhi CM Atishi; TMC’s Mahua Moitra and Kirti Azad, CPI(M’s) MA Baby, Brinda Karat and Kerala leader KK Shailaja are among the many names who have supported the group online.
However, Congress has yet to publicly announce its support, even though it has been raising the same issue for months. While Amravati Lok Sabha MP Balwant Paswant Wankhede visited the CJP protest, other leaders, including Gandhi, seem to have taken a ‘wait and watch’ approach.
This relative silence also comes amid ongoing allegations from the Bharatiya Janata Party accusing the Congress of funding the CJP movement against the NDA government.
Rahul releases song Chhatron Ki Goonj
While opposition leaders are calling on Gandhi to support the KJP, the Congress MP has launched a parallel campaign called ‘Chatron Ki Jung’ (Students’ Echo).
Gandhi’s campaign focuses on highlighting the problems faced by Indian students and the faults in the education system.
“The system that was meant to prepare children for their future today pushes them and their families into debt, stress and despair,” Gandhi wrote on
The Congressman further stated that this is the time for a “revolution in education”, as he called for action against Pradhan.
