24 July,2026 05:26 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke speaks to the media, in New Delhi, on Friday. PIC/PTI
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday said the party's protest would continue until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns, despite social activist Sonam Wangchuk ending his 26-day hunger strike.
Speaking to reporters, Dipke welcomed Wangchuk's decision to call off his fast, saying he was relieved about the activist's health but maintained that the movement's central demand remained unchanged, news agency ANI reported.
"Our protest will continue until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns. We are very happy and relieved that Sonam sir has ended his hunger strike, as it had been over 26 days. His life is extremely precious to this country," Dipke told reporters.
Reiterating the party's stand on talks with the Centre, Dipke said any meeting should be held at a neutral venue.
"Our demonstration will go on until Dharmendra Pradhan steps down. Any meeting must take place at a neutral location or venue. Nothing less than the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan will be accepted," he added.
CJP representative Ashutosh Ranka also asserted that the ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar would continue until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tenders his resignation.
He made the remarks ahead of the party's scheduled discussions with government representatives.
"There is a meeting with JP Nadda Ji at the CCI scheduled for 12:30. As far as we have been told, Jitendra Singh Ji might also be present there. Whatever is discussed will be shared with you all. We have also organised a press conference at 11:00, where we will provide more details," he told reporters.
Ranka said that although Wangchuk had ended his hunger strike following certain assurances from the government, the movement's core demand remained the resignation of the Union Education Minister.
Referring to a video released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier, Ranka claimed the government was under pressure due to the public response to the agitation.
"Finally, we noticed that for the first time, the Prime Minister had to release a selfie video at 12 midnight, which shows that the pressure is very high. Prime Minister, you said that today you want to take very strict action; for us the strictest action would be to remove Dharmendra Pradhan. If you remove him quickly, then we will believe that you are truly serious about the youth of this country," he added.
CJP Spokesperson Deepak Balyan also said the protest would continue indefinitely until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns, dismissing the government's assurances on fast-track courts as inadequate.
"CJP's clear call is that this protest will continue indefinitely until Dharmendra Pradhan (Union Education Minister) resigns. PM Modi says cases will be tried in fast-track courts, but those are just words; we don't trust them because the youth have been cheated many times before. The youth feel betrayed and are troubled," Balyan said.
(With ANI and PTI inputs)
