Cockroach party Janta released a manifesto on examination reforms at a protest in Pune

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke addresses a press conference ahead of a protest in Pune on June 11, 2026. | Photo credit: PTI

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) staged a protest at the Ambedkar statue at the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) in Pune, Maharashtra on Thursday and released a five-point manifesto recommending reforms in the examination process across the country.

The CJP, which began with a satirical social media post in response to a critical remark by the Chief Justice of India last month, is fast evolving into a mass youth movement targeting complaints against the examination system and demanding the resignation of the Union Education Minister.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke presented the movement’s manifesto, which demanded compensation of ₹10,000 per candidate in the event of a paper leak to cover preparation and travel expenses; statement of results within one month of the exam; advance notification of alternative dates whenever an exam is canceled to reduce the psychological burden on students; physical grading of answer sheets instead of grading based on digital scans; a guarantee that exam postponements will not affect candidates due to age limits or reduce their number of attempts; and an independent body for auditing tenders.

Unlimited protest from June 20

“If they are not ready to simply resign and admit the mistake, then how can we expect them to fix the education system. It starts with admitting the mistake,” Mr Dipke said. He announced that he would launch an open-ended protest in Delhi on June 20, appealing to students to join him.

Mr. Dipke and other CJP supporters also plan to campaign across the country to gain credibility for their assurance that “this movement can do something”. Mr Dipke added: “It was only 15 days, give us time to decide how to proceed. If you have given 12 years to the people in power, give us at least 12 weeks.”

“Is the student or the minister more important?”

During the protest at the SPPU on Thursday, the CJP demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the paper leak that led to the cancellation of NEET-UG, medical entrance exam and Central Board of Secondary Education Class 12 exam evaluation questions.

Highlighting the obstinacy of the BJP-led Union government, Mr. Dipke asked, “Who is more important, the student or the minister? If you don’t leave him, the students will convert you. People are no longer tolerant.”

“The government must take responsibility for its mistakes, for which students are paying the cost,” said Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk, who took part in the protest. Several other social activists, including Aseem Sarode, also extended their support to the CJP during the SPPU agitation, raising slogans like “Zimmedari leni hogi (Responsibility must be accepted)” and “I am a cockroach”.

“Only IT cell is Indian”

Calling the move “coincidental,” Mr. Dipke said: “The day I tweeted at CJP and it blew up out of proportion, I was applying for the job. I was happy there, but the reactions made me think along these lines.”

On the allegation that CJP’s supporters are bots, Mr. Dipke said, “It was BJP Minister Kiren Rijiju who tweeted that half of the supporters are Pakistanis. I shared a screenshot of the details of the supporters which shows that 94.5% are from India. Why are you calling them Pakistanis? If CBSE students are asking about national threat, Pakistan, Pakistan, who is Pakistan, journalists? Only (BJP) IT Cell.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut expressed his best wishes to the CJP and expressed hope for the success of the youth movement. “CJP is the anger and frustration of India’s youth; these youth should not be deceived – instead, this anger needs to be expressed in a more effective and planned manner,” he said in a post on X, even as he advocated caution to prevent Sangh Parivar influence from infiltrating the movement.

Published – June 11, 2026 12:17 PM IST