Inside the Jantar Mantar celebrations on Saturday after Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down – ‘We did it’ | Today’s news
It was Saturday June 6 when Abhijeet Dipke, the 30-year-old founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), led the first protest march demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG entrance medical controversies.
A little over a month later, Dipke returned to the same venue to announce that Pradhan had resigned the following Saturday. A few hours later, the CJP announced that it was ending the protest after the Union government accepted all the students’ demands.
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“We’ve done it, Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned,” Dipke told a crowd of several thousand on the afternoon of July 25. “Kya kehte the, is sarkar mein istefe nahi hota…(They would say no one will resign in this government)” said Dipke as supporters started celebrating.
Jantar Mantar was unusually busy on Saturday, perhaps because of the weekend. The crowd was much larger than on June 6, the Saturday when it actually started.
As the afternoon sun set, streams of people walked towards Jantar Mantar from all directions. Be it Raisina Road, Sansad Marg, Tolstoy Road, Ashoka Road or Rafi Marg, groups of protesters made their way past hundreds of policemen and barricades to reach the protest site.
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Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following intense protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over controversies related to the NEET-UG examination, including allegations of a paper leak.
The CJP demanded Pradhan’s resignation, holding him responsible for the irregularities and controversies surrounding the NEET-UG examination that led to considerable suffering among students, including suicides.
The Jantar Mantar protests that began in early June grew into a massive movement to pressure the government, eventually leading to Pradhan’s resignation as he faced escalating protests and demands for accountability.
After Pradhan’s resignation, the CJP indicated that their protests would continue until their other demands, including financial compensation for the affected families and no action against the student protesters, were addressed.
Many supporters of the CJP argue that the responsibility should go beyond the Pradhan to include other officials responsible for overseeing the NEET examination process and addressing the systemic issues that led to the controversy.
Around 2 pm, long queues formed at the entrance near Kerala House as people waited to enter the Jantar Mantar compound, which was already packed with thousands of protesters. Volunteers struggled to manage the growing crowds, repeatedly urging people to move forward in single file as more protesters continued to pour in.(Gulam Jeelani)
Around 2 pm, long queues formed at the entrance near Kerala House as people waited to enter the Jantar Mantar compound, which was already packed with thousands of protesters. Volunteers struggled to manage the growing crowds, repeatedly urging people to move forward in single file as more protesters continued to pour in.
Read also | Dharmendra Pradhan resigns over NEET row: How political leaders react
Inside, slogans, placards and patriotic songs blared from loudspeakers, creating a charged atmosphere as thousands of protesters gathered. .
From Manta to Jalib – “main nahi manta”
One of the hundreds of protests had Saadta Hassan Manto’s famous line in Hindi that read – keemat jo bhi ho, aadmi agar bik jaaye to, kodun ka bhi nahi rehta’, which loosely translates to “whatever the price, once a man is sold, he loses all his worth”.
Another poster nearby had lines from Pakistani poet Habib Jalib’s famous poem “Dastoor” – “Is khule jhoot hom zehan ki loot ko, main nahi manta, main nahi jaanta…” These famous lines from the revolutionary poet can be translated into English as “This lie with a bare face, this insult I refuse to accept, I refuse to accept our mind”.(Gulam Jeelani)
Another poster nearby had lines from Pakistani poet Habib Jalib’s poem ‘Dastoor’ – ‘Is khule jhoot hom zehan ki loot ko, main nahi manta, main nahi jaanta…’ These famous lines of the revolutionary poet can be translated into English as ‘This lie with a bare face, this insult to our mind I refuse to accept’.
A few minutes to 2:30 PM, Dipke suddenly made the most important announcement on the microphone. Supporters broke into the celebrations and some masked youths danced as well. “This is just the beginning. Our two demands remain.” ₹1 crore to the families of those NEET aspirants who died by suicide. And no police action against the July 20 protesters,” Dipke said.
Read also | Delhi Police issues new traffic alert amid CJP protest
As the site of the protest erupted into celebration, hundreds of supporters spilled onto the road outside the exit. The crowd stretched all the way to the Patel Chowk metro station and people lined the route. Some sat down to share food while others raised slogans and sang patriotic songs, turning the area into a festival gathering.
A celebration of melody
One of them was handing out candy to Melody. The viral internet phenomenon ‘Melody’ refers to Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently gifting Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni a packet of iconic Indian sweets Melody.
“This is history in the making. A few days ago, the same government greeted us with batons and tear gas. Pellets were also used against us. And today the minister quit. This is a victory. This shows that you cannot take people at mercy. This shows that the government should be afraid of its people,” said a protester who was leaving the place.
From June 6 to July 25 — what happened?
Dipke returned to India after completing his Masters in Boston, United States. What started as a satirical “cockroach” joke in response to a remark made by the Chief Justice of India soon developed into a massive online movement demanding accountability from the government.
On June 6, the CJP staged its first protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. As the movement gained momentum, protests spread to cities across the country with one central demand: Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET paper leak controversy.
The protest returned to Jantar Mantar on June 20, with the CJP deciding to continue its session despite the lack of official permission. With the support of several opposition leaders, the movement gained further momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk went on hunger strike on June 28 before being taken to hospital by the police. On 20 July, the agitation reached a flashpoint when clashes broke out across Delhi during the CJP’s march to Parliament.
Read also | Time to remove this government: Rahul Gandhi reacts to Pradhan’s resignation
In mid-July, the government started reaching out to the CJP. On July 20, CJP representatives met Union Minister JP Nadda. The CJP insisted that Pradhan resign. The government reached out again. This time the CJP insisted on a neutral ground. The last meeting was held at the Constitution Club on July 24.
On 25 July, facing spiraling protests for his ouster, Pradhan finally resigned. In a letter in Hindi, the minister said it was not about “individual prestige” for him and wanted to prevent anti-national forces from abusing the situation at Jantar Mantar and across the country.
The protest ends
By evening, the CJP called off its protest “with immediate effect” and asked supporters at Jantar Mantar to return home. The announcement came at a joint press conference between the government and the CJP this evening following the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as the Union Education Minister. His resignation was the main demand of the CJP regarding the NEET paper leak.
Accompanied by Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh at the press conference, CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka told reporters that the CJP ended the protest in “good faith” that the government would keep its word on the demands.
This shows that the government should fear its people.
“Next should be an anti-(Nitin) Gadkari protest over E20 petrol. joked a protester.
