CJP launches nationwide protest over exam irregularities, unveils education reform manifesto

Pune: Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday said they will release an education manifesto later in the day, coinciding with the launch of their nationwide protest over alleged exam irregularities and demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk will also participate in the peaceful protest, scheduled to start in the evening on the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) campus, Dipke said at a press conference here.

"We are starting our nationwide protest from today at the SSPU. The protest will be peaceful and within the framework of the Constitution. Today, we will be releasing our education manifesto," he said. "The manifesto focuses on preventing question paper leaks, ensuring timely declaration of examination results, improving transparency in recruitment and entrance examinations, strengthening accountability of examination authorities, and addressing issues faced by students due to delays and irregularities in the conduct of examinations," he said.

Dipke said with the launch of a nationwide campaign from Pune, they will take the movement to various cities, including Jaipur, Lucknow, Amritsar and Bengaluru, before gathering at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 20.

Also read CJP Protest: Students slam paper leaks, call for ‘overhaul of education system’, Pradhan’s resignation

"We will not return until we get the resignation of the education minister, who is responsible for jeopardising the future of more than one crore students," he claimed. Dipke further said they are ready to have dialogue with the government, but claimed that instead of dialogue, it was suspending CJP's (social media) accounts.

"CJP is a big message for the country. The government cannot ignore the youth. Instead of calling us fake, try to understand the issues and problems faced by the youth in the country," he added. The group has gained visibility in recent weeks through social media campaigns centred on examination-related issues and has sought to position itself as a youth-led platform advocating reforms in the education sector.

It organised a protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital on June 6, where students and young people from different parts of the country gathered to press for accountability over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and to seek Pradhan's resignation.