The protest will continue until Education Minister Pradhan resigns: Janta Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Party
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke speaks to the media after his arrival in Mumbai, Maharashtra, late Saturday (June 6, 2026) | Photo credit: PTI
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) online movement founder Abhijeet Dipke said on Sunday (June 7, 2026) that the protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will continue.
A day earlier, the CJP staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding the minister’s resignation over alleged irregularities in CBSE board exams, higher education entrance exams and recruitment exams.
Addressing the media in his hometown in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Mr Dipke said: “What to do with this government? no jobs, no proper exams. Young people of the country are not afraid of the government. We will continue to fight until he (Pradhan) steps down. Someone has to be held accountable.”
He said the protest in Delhi was a success, claiming that around 7,000 people participated. He also rejected claims that people were paid to participate in the protest. “I came to the venue straight from the airport (after flying in from the US). How could I pay them? BJP is also running a fake campaign for which not many people turned up at the venue.”
On the way forward, Mr Dipke said: “We will discuss with community members, take their suggestions and decide our next step accordingly.”
Yesterday, thousands of us made history. Our peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar showed the government a teaser of what cockroaches are capable of when we unite.
Most of the people who joined us yesterday had never been to a protest before. But they felt encouraged by our… pic.twitter.com/eudgmDvdzC
— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) June 7, 2026
The CJP, which started as an online movement, hit the ground running demanding accountability for alleged irregularities in examinations including NEET-UG for medical admissions, CBSE boards, CUET for university admissions and SSC recruitment exams. Mr. Dipke came from the United States to lead the protest.
He said, “I have informed my friends that I am going to India and I am very mentally prepared to go to jail as well. Someone has to raise their voice. In our country, politics is limited to elections. Once the elections are done, (people) forget about it for the next five years.”
After leading the protest in Delhi, Mr. Dipke reached his residence in MIDC Waluj area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Sunday morning (June 7).
Mr. Dipke launched an online campaign in May that gained 22 million followers on Instagram within days. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya came out in support of the CJP’s demands.
Published – 07 Jun 2026 12:39 IST