Hopes and fears compete as Delhi students join CJP protest for education reforms

Students from various Delhi colleges, including Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia, participated in the first protest organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which calls itself the “Indian satirical political movement”.

Many students said they were there to support the protesters’ demand – the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan amid a spate of exam controversies and irregularities – but had not yet decided how involved they wanted to be in the movement itself.

making mistakes right

Jantar Mantar in central Delhi was filled with students and youths carrying posters and banners. “Cockroaches don’t ruin lives, BJP does,” one slogan read. “Dharmendra Pradhan should resign,” said another. Another poster listed the names of ministers whose children are studying at universities abroad and said, “Our future has been leaked, their future is safe.”

A student from Delhi University (DU) carrying roses said the flowers were there “for the movement”, to protest against paper leaks and irregularities in exams. Krishna Agarwal, who studies at DU’s Shri Ram College of Commerce, said this was his first protest and he was there to see what students could do to right the wrongs, citing “paper leaks and problems in the education system”.

No approval for CJP yet

Most of the students who attended the protest were affiliated with student organizations but said they were there “in their individual capacities.” Among the student unions that participated in the protest in large numbers was the All India Students’ Association (AISA). However, leaders of the organization explained that their support for the cause did not necessarily mean endorsing the CJP, adding that they would wait for the movement to develop before planning future courses of action.

Current JNU student union president Aditi Mishra, who is also associated with AISA, also joined the solidarity. He was one of the five JNU students who were suspended and suspended from the campus for two semesters due to alleged vandalism. “There is a very diverse crowd today: many students are here, including school students and people who came with photographs of Dr BR Ambedkar. We hope that this momentum will continue and we will be able to break the stronghold of the ruling party,” he said.

AAP worried about connections

Some student leaders who participated in the protest said they were there as “spectators” and were concerned about “the movement’s links to and support from the Aam Aadmi Party”.

Soon after the protest ended, AAP chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed his solidarity with a post about X. “The cockroach movement is an expression of immense anger and frustration experienced by the youth of this country. Instead of calling them anti-national, the Modi Government should address their issues. AAP supports their demands. The Prime Minister should sack the education minister immediately,” he said.

Bhim, a PhD student at DU who is associated with the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), said he supported the cause of education reform but was unsure of the goals of the larger movement. “We don’t know yet whether this movement will be limited to issues like paper leaks or touch on other issues like unemployment. For it to be a pan-India movement, it will have to involve other sections of society like farmers, domestic workers and sanitation workers.”