Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra on Friday joined the ongoing protest of the Abhijit Debke-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The protest site has witnessed students and youth demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan since June 20 due to irregularities in the country’s examination system.
The protesters cited the controversy over leakage of NEET papers, issues related to CBSE’s OSM preparation and other alleged loopholes in the education system. It was reported that more than 18 students died by suicide due to exam-related problems.
“Today, the future of over three crore students and job aspirants is being manipulated. And there is no one to speak for them,” Moitra told the crowd. Instead, those in power were sitting comfortably and wishing each other a Merry Christmas. What could be more shameful than this? She said.
She added: “Celebrate birthdays if you want. But do not write ‘Happy Birthday’ on a cake with the blood of our children. You have no right to do that. Do not decorate your celebrations with the sacrifices and suffering of our youth,” amid loud cheers from the audience.
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The remarks were a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating Pradhan on his birthday on June 26, while the protests were ongoing.
In his birthday message, Modi said Pradhan was “making commendable efforts” towards education in the country.
“This is your fight”
Moitra said that politicians alone cannot fight the movement and appealed to the students to continue the protest.
“Maybe this is not a fight that we, as members of Parliament, can fight alone,” she said. “Maybe it is not a fight that can be won simply by getting straight into politics. But this is a fight that you can fight.”
“Our parents fought for their children to become engineers and doctors and build better lives. But over the past 12 to 14 years, even this simple dream has been shattered.”
She alleged that more than three crore students and job aspirants saw their future at risk and alleged that the government had failed to take responsibility. Citing the year-long farmers’ protest, Moitra asked the protesters to remain peaceful and persistent.
“Look at the farmers’ movement. It lasted for more than a year and a half. Eventually, the government had to back down… If you can show the same determination, victory is possible.”
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“They will call you communists”
She also appealed to the demonstrators not to pay attention to the labels.
“They will try to attach labels to you. They will call you communists, Marxists, Kanhaiya Kumar supporters, Maha Moitra, anti-nationalists – anything they can think of. Get rid of every one of these labels. You don’t need any label except one: that you are an Indian, you stand up for India.”
She called for a non-violent movement, citing Mahatma Gandhi and the Chauri Chaura incident.
The 1922 British-era incident refers to a clash in which protesters set fire to a police station, killing 22 policemen. This came after police opened fire on a crowd of people. The incident at that time prompted Mahatma Gandhi to suspend the Non-Cooperation Movement, saying that the freedom struggle must remain free of violence.
“Let this movement continue. Stay non-violent. Stay true to your cause,” Moitra told the crowd at Jantar Mantar.
She concluded her speech by quoting verses from Fayez Ahmed Fayez’s poem Home Digging“We will certainly witness the day we were promised… We will certainly live to see it.”
Sharing a video of her address on X, Moitra wrote: “His [Pradhan’s] Birthday cake cannot be baked with the blood of our children. Don’t let them call you ‘Hindustani’. Don’t give up. Be true to your cause. Jay Hind.”
The CJP thanked the TMC MP in a post on
The CJP, led by its founder Abhijit Debaki, became known as an online satirical movement after Chief Justice Surya Kant referred to the “youth of India” as “cockroaches” during court proceedings.
The group later turned into a protest platform demanding that the government be held accountable for exam reforms. Mahua Moitra was among the first prominent political leaders to publicly join the campaign on social media.
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The demonstration was also attended by environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28. It demands reforms in the education system and greater autonomy in Ladakh.
