In a significant political upheaval in India, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation, yielding to the relentless demands of youth-led protests over exam paper leaks that shook Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The protests, which lasted for 36 days, were led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a group formed in response to derogatory comments made by India’s chief justice, likening the nation’s youth to ‘cockroaches’ and ‘parasites’.
The CJP scored a major victory with this resignation, one of their primary demands in demonstrations that escalated into a substantial challenge for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The news was met with jubilation at the Jantar Mantar protest site in New Delhi, where the internet had been blocked to curb the spread of information. Abhijeet Dipke, the creator of the CJP, screamed into the microphone, ‘We have done it, we have done it,’ while dedicating the victory to students who had died by suicide due to the exam paper leaks and cancellations.
The protests included demands for compensation for families of students who died by suicide, assurances against punitive action for protesters, and public apologies from police and paramilitary forces for attacks on demonstrators. The latter was particularly evoked by a violent crackdown on July 20, when over 100 protesters were wounded during their march to Parliament. The crackdown’s video, showing tear gas and physical violence against protesters, fueled nationwide anger and prompted tens of thousands to join protests across various cities in India.
The CJP then called for protesters to ‘return home peacefully’ after the government ‘accepted’ all its demands. However, while the resignation is seen as a victory, some warn that it is not enough. Shruti Bedi, an 18-year-old protester, stated that ‘there needs to be a total reform, a total takeover of the government in our hands.’ She emphasized that the real accomplishment was ‘citizens finding their voice back,’ reflecting a growing desire for change and accountability among India’s youth.
The protests and subsequent resignation highlight a disconnect between India’s so-called Generation Z and the current political establishment, potentially signaling a shift in the nation’s political landscape as young people demand more transparency and justice from their government. As the protest site cleared, the ‘cockroach’ movement’s official handle on social media replied to Dipke’s initial post that sparked the movement, encapsulating the mood of the day: ‘And today, friends, we found out what happens when the cockroaches assemble.’