Cockroaches Topple Education Minister

Student Protests Force Dharmendra Pradhan to Step Down, CJP Calls Off Agitation

By Rohini Chatterji

What?

In the face of relentless agitation held across the country, Pradhan tendered his resignation on Saturday. This was a massive win for the students who were demanding justice against the leaks of the National Eligibility Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2026, or NEET, question papers. 

The paper leaks resulted in several students dying by suicide. 

Sharing a statement about his resignation on social media, Pradhan said, “I have sent my resignation letter to the prime minister.” 

Pradhan said that he has always believed in the power of democracy in India and that “my heart is saddened”. 

The news prompted celebrations at Jantar Mantar where thousands of people had gathered even on Saturday morning. Television and social media visuals showed chants of inquilab zindabad (long live revolution), Jai Bhim (Victory to Bhim) and Bharat mata ki jai (victory to Mother India) as the crowd erupted with joy. 

Addressing the protesters, Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the satirical Cockroach Janata Party(CJP), said, “This is what a democracy looks like.” 

Dipke maintained that this was just the beginning and that the protest would not stop here. He reiterated that while their demand for Pradhan’s resignation had been met, other key demands — a Rs 1 crore compensation for the family of all the students who died by suicide, the removal of all cases against protesting students, and action against police personnel who lathicharged students at Jantar Mantar, and apologies from the Delhi police and RAF  — were still pending. 

Dipke also called for a candle march for the students who died by suicide because of the paper leaks in every state. 

After a meeting with Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, and Minister of State (PMO) Jitendra Singh, the CJP said that the government was willing to meet all its demands and said that the protest will be withdrawn in keeping with the government’s actions. 

Who Said What? 

Ramon Magsaysay awardee and educator Sonam Wangchuk, who held a hunger strike for 26 days for the cause, called this a victory for democracy. “Congratulations, CJP,  Gen Z of the nation and thank you all citizens for shedding fear and the fear of fear and rising up from every corner of the nation.” 

The protests, being held for over a month, had gained momentum over the last few weeks, with several attempts to quell them. Protesters faced lathi charges, tear gas and even pellets, but had refused to back down. 

Reactions poured in from all quarters of the Opposition on the news of Pradhan’s resignation. 

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a member of Parliament of the Congress Party, told the media, “People of our country have started to take the country back from those who have tried to destroy the constitution, from those who have tried to do everything to oppress and suppress the voice of our people.” 

The Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi called it a symbolic but huge step for India’s education. “It’s also a signal to other parts of society — farmers, labourers, poor people, anybody who this regime is attacking and oppressing — there is wisdom and courage in standing up. Daro mat (don’t be afraid). Let’s get rid of this regime.” 

Delhi’s former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal put out a video on X congratulating the youth of this country and Gen Z. “This is a big win for democracy. People of our country had lost faith in democracy; they had started to believe governments don’t listen… this is a lesson that governments have to listen to their people.” 

Akhilesh Yadav, a member of parliament from Samajwadi Party, said that this was a lesson all political parties must take. “The government will have to think very seriously about everything from primary education to higher education. Concrete steps will have to be taken to prevent exam paper leaks.” 

Dharmendra Pradhan’s cabinet colleague, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Minority Affairs, said in a social media post, “Having worked alongside him in the Union Cabinet, I have seen his sincere dedication to strengthening India’s education ecosystem & keeping our millions of young students at the centre of every decision."

Why Does This Matter? 

This is the first resignation by someone as senior as Pradhan, part of the Union Cabinet, under the Narendra Modi government since 2014. 

The only other resignation by a minister of state was that of MJ Akbar during the Me Too movement, in 2018. 

Unlike previous movements in the country, the protests began as satire with the forming of the CJP, a social media movement, after India’s chief justice Surya Kant had reportedly referred to protesters and unemployed youth as cockroaches. 

CJP’s movement quickly gained ground with a large social media following, even putting behind social media followings of political parties in India. 

Even as protests continued at Jantar Mantar, Gen Z helped the movement gain momentum by amplifying it across social media.

The last few days saw people from all over India, including minors with their parents, pouring in from all across the country despite government pushback through police action. 

By Friday, there were protests held across the country, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and other cities. 

While there were reports of severe repercussions for the protesters, Gen Z protesters remained irreverent. Their social media efforts included questioning the prime minister on his social media posts and demanding answers. 

What Next? 

Cockroach Janta Party's spokespersons Ashutosh Ranka and Sourav Das said that after three rounds of discussions with the government delegation, their three demands had been met. 

The government has promised to withdraw FIRs against students and to take no further action against protestors. “The government has assured us that it will share copies of all the FIRs filed – as per our last information, 15 to 20 FIRs were filed in Delhi – and we will receive those copies within three to four days in any case. The government has also assured that the withdrawal will be done shortly.” 

The government will provide written guarantees on the FIRs to CJP on Tuesday. 

The CJP spokespersons also said that the government has also agreed to pay honorary compensation to the kin of students who died by suicide. “We have also given a five-point demand charter to the government on broader educational reforms and exam reforms. We will meet the government again in about four weeks regarding that demand charter so that we can work together on broader reforms.” 

The spokespersons called for the protesters to disperse peacefully.

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