“Dharmendra Pradhan Must Quit”: Abhijeet Dipke Holds Firm as CJP and Centre Hold Talks
New Delhi: Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has once again declared that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan “must quit,” making it clear that the demand remains non-negotiable even after the Centre initiated talks with the youth-led group.
The satirical movement, which began online in May 2026 after a judicial remark describing unemployed youth as “cockroaches,” has sustained a prolonged agitation at Jantar Mantar. Protesters blame repeated paper leaks and irregularities in NEET-UG, CBSE and CUET examinations, along with related student suicides, for the crisis in the education system under Pradhan’s leadership. Dipke, a Boston University student and former political communications strategist, returned from the United States in early June to lead the street campaign and has consistently maintained that the minister’s resignation is the bare minimum accountability required.
In the first formal contact between the government and CJP, Union Health Minister JP Nadda met two representatives of the group — Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das — at his residence. The meeting followed the large “Chalo Parliament” march on July 20 that witnessed police action. Nadda assured the delegates that the government leadership would hold internal discussions on their memorandum, which listed Pradhan’s resignation over examination irregularities as the central demand, along with calls for systemic reforms and compensation.
Dipke rejected the engagement as inadequate. Addressing supporters at Jantar Mantar, he said the government had “wasted our time.” He alleged that the CJP delegates had their mobiles seized and were kept under restricted conditions for several hours while police action continued against students on the streets. “You call for talks on one hand and unleash batons on students on the other,” he charged, insisting that nothing short of the education minister’s exit would end the agitation.
CJP spokespersons have echoed the same firm line. Saurav Das and others have described Pradhan’s resignation as “non-negotiable,” stating that the Jantar Mantar protest will continue until the demand is met. Dipke has gone further in recent remarks, inviting the minister to join the sit-in and offering to prepare a resignation letter for him to sign. He has also warned that failure to act could expand the campaign’s targets beyond the education minister.
The movement has drawn thousands of students, competitive exam aspirants and young professionals frustrated by what they call a culture of non-accountability. Supporters point to paper leaks, result errors and the human cost of repeated failures as reasons why Pradhan cannot continue in office. The government has maintained that examination reforms and investigations are underway but has given no indication of any move on the ministerial resignation.
As of Friday, reports indicated the possibility of a second round of talks involving Nadda and other ministers, even as CJP leaders alleged a breakdown in discussions and renewed their core demand. Dipke and his colleagues have made it clear that dialogue without the education minister’s departure holds little value for them.
The protest, now stretching into its second month, continues to test the Centre’s approach to a youth movement that began as online satire and has evolved into a sustained street challenge focused on educational integrity and political accountability.
