12 June,2026 11:10 AM IST | Lucknow | mid-day online correspondent
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke. Pic/PTI
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday said his organisation would continue pressing for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in examinations during a planned protest in Lucknow.
The demonstration is part of a nationwide campaign launched by the youth-led organisation, which has already held protests in other cities and plans to continue its outreach across multiple states before culminating in a larger gathering in New Delhi later this month.
Speaking to reporters outside Lucknow airport late Thursday night, Dipke said the movement aims to highlight concerns related to alleged irregularities in examinations and demand accountability from the Union government.
According to him, the protest scheduled at Eco Garden in Lucknow is a continuation of demonstrations previously held in Delhi and Pune.
Dipke maintained that the organisation's protests have remained peaceful and are being conducted within the framework of democratic rights.
"We have seen peaceful protests in Delhi and Pune where we put forward our demand for the resignation of the education minister. We will continue to raise the same issue in a peaceful and constitutional manner," he said.
There was no immediate confirmation on whether local authorities had granted permission for the proposed protest in Lucknow.
Efforts to obtain comments from senior police officials reportedly did not yield a response.
Addressing questions regarding the possibility of permission being denied, Dipke said the organisation would engage with local authorities and seek the necessary approvals if required.
He emphasised that the protest organisers intended to conduct the event peacefully and did not plan any activity that would violate the law.
Dipke argued that peaceful demonstrations are an essential part of a democratic system and said the organisation was merely seeking to present its views on issues affecting students and examination processes.
"We have conducted peaceful protests in Delhi and Pune. We are not doing anything wrong. We only want to express our views in a democracy," he said.
The CJP has positioned its campaign around concerns related to examination administration and educational governance, although the Union government has previously defended its handling of such issues.
The organisation held a protest in Pune on Thursday as part of its ongoing campaign.
According to Dipke, the movement plans to expand its outreach to other cities over the coming days, seeking to mobilise support from students and youth groups.
The campaign has attracted attention on social media, with organisers using public meetings and demonstrations to highlight their demands.
Following the Lucknow programme, the organisation plans to hold demonstrations in Amritsar and Bengaluru.
The series of events is expected to culminate in a larger protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 20.
Organisers say the objective is to maintain public attention on issues related to examinations and educational governance while pressing their demand for accountability from the Centre.
The Union Education Ministry has not issued any immediate response to Dipke's latest remarks or the planned demonstrations.
As preparations continue for Friday's protest, it remains to be seen whether authorities will grant formal permission for the event and how large a turnout the organisers are able to mobilise in Lucknow.
(With inputs from PTI)
