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During the Pune protest on Thursday, CJP founder ABhijeet Dipke warned that the movement would travel to back to Delhi and stage a protest on June 20 if Pradhan did not resign over the irregularities in competitive examinations
A participant wearing a cockroach mask takes part in a nationwide protest campaign launched by Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, in Pune, India, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahendra Kolhe)(AP Photo/Mahendra Kolhe)Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke will join students in Lucknow today in the youth movements latest leg of protests demanding resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over exam-related discrepencies.
The CJP launched a nationwide agitation with the sam demand from Pune on 11 June and also released an 'exam manifesto' which sought compensation for students in the event of a paper leak. Hundreds of students and young supporters gathered at the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) campus in Pune during Thursday's protest.
"After two successful peaceful protests in Delhi and Pune, I am leaving for Lucknow. Will join the students there tomorrow to demand the resignation of the Education Minister," Dipke said in a post on X on Thursday night.
The protest scheduled in the UP capital today will be held in Eco Garden, where CJP supporters will demand the resignation Pradhan. The protest is scheduled to begin at 11 am.
During the Pune protest, Dipke, 30, warned that the movement would travel to back to Delhi and stage a protest on June 20 if Pradhan did not resign over the irregularities in competitive examinations. CJP's first protest held in Delhi on 6 June drew thousands of supporters at Jantar Mantar.
Students appearing for NEET, CBSE and CUET have suffered injustice, Dipke said in Pune, accusing the government of failing to fix accountability.
"Our only demand since the inception of this movement has been the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. More than one crore students have faced injustice, but nobody is ready to take responsibility or step down," he said.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi must decide whether "one crore students or one incompetent minister" was more important, he said.
With the launch of the nationwide campaign from Pune, they will take the movement to various cities, including Jaipur, Lucknow, Amritsar and Bengaluru, before gathering at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 20, he said.
The online movement emerged in May, after Supreme Court judge Surya Kant’s remarks comparing some unemployed youth to “cockroaches” triggered outrage. Supporters embraced the term as a symbol of resilience, helping the group amass more than 22 million followers on Instagram.
Our only demand since the inception of this movement has been the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.
The movement's message has since expanded to include concerns over unemployment, rising living costs and government accountability.
(With agency inputs)
About the Author
Gulam Jeelani
Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.
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