Amid India’s first Janata Party protest, movement founder Abhijit Debaki on Saturday shared a video from Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. “They said cockroaches would never come to Earth…” DeBakey said in the post, along with photos showing the crowd at the protest site.
The massive protest was called to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, amid the row over NEET paper leak and irregularities in CBSE Class 12 results. While Debaki led the protest at Jantar Mantar, activist Sonam Wangchuk also joined the agitation.
Debki, who arrived in New Delhi earlier on Saturday from the United States, threatened to create unrest across India if Pradhan did not resign by 5 pm today. The CJP was formed as a satirical response to remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a court hearing last month, when some individuals were referred to as “cockroaches” and “parasites”.
Students, competitive exam aspirants and parents were among those who gathered at the protest site, many of whom raised concerns about the education system. Dipke’s video comes despite a section of social media users sharing photos from the protest site claiming a “smaller crowd” than expected. But others circulated pictures claiming that the turnout was “large.”
What are the main demands of the AKP?
Apart from Pradhan’s resignation, the party demands that the education system be digitized only after proper training. “We are digitizing everything from banking to education, but are we able to stop malpractices? The answer is no,” 50-year-old Radheshyam Kaithal, a father of three students pursuing higher education in Delhi, told Hindustan Times.
The movement’s focus remains on youth, specifically student issues. “I don’t know about the future of the party, but at least now they are talking about issues that matter to everyone – whether you are a student or a parent worried about your children’s education,” said 18-year-old Ronak Kumar from Delhi.
The movement has urged fairness and credibility in competitive exams, while some have also highlighted the “psychological pressure” on students. “Some students have ended their lives and thousands are under constant mental pressure. There is no accountability,” Sugandha, a psychologist by profession, told Hindustan Times.
