'Cockroaches have won, democracy has won': CJP reacts to education minister's resignation

Following the resignation of India's Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the protesting organisation 'Cockroach Janata Party' (CJP) wrote on social media: "The cockroaches have won, democracy has won."

Pradhan submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. In his resignation letter shared on X, he said he was "deeply hurt" by the events of the past ten days and that he had taken the decision in the interest of national unity. In an earlier post, he wrote: "I have taken responsibility from the very beginning and never shied away from the situation. My resolve was that no meritorious student's future should be ruined due to the exam mafia, and no student should be treated unjustly."

On the day of the resignation, fresh clashes broke out between police and protesters near Jantar Mantar in the capital Delhi; police used tear gas and lathi-charges, injuring several people. The CJP has called for a candlelight march on Sunday to express solidarity with the victims of police violence.

For the past several days, protests have been taking place across India demanding the education minister's resignation and protesting the leak of the medical entrance exam NEET-UG. The agitation has been led by the satirical political movement CJP, which has gained significant popularity among the younger generation. The movement was born in May this year following a comment by India's Chief Justice Surya Kant, who was widely criticised for allegedly referring to unemployed youths as "cockroaches."

Angered by the NEET question paper leak and irregularities in the CBSE board's evaluation and re-evaluation process, students had been protesting at Jantar Mantar for the past several weeks. Following a police crackdown on July 20, the agitation intensified; police used lathi-charges and tear gas on protesters attempting to march towards Parliament, injuring over 150 people. Meanwhile, in Bihar, clashes and stone-throwing between protesters and police were reported in at least three districts over the NEET paper leak issue; Tej Pratap Yadav, the eldest son of Lalu Prasad Yadav and a JD(U) leader, was detained by police while participating in a protest.

Before the resignation, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the government at a press conference of trying to save the education minister through a cabinet reshuffle. Terming it "unacceptable," he said, "Nothing but Pradhan's resignation will be acceptable."

On Friday night, Prime Minister Modi thanked everyone for responding positively to a video message in which he announced the decision to bring in a new law to ensure strict punishment for those involved in the paper leak.