Accountability must be fixed, paper leaks can’t go on, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke said on Saturday at a protest in Amritsar as part of its nationwide campaign seeking education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
Students and youth assembled at the Golden Gate, the entry point to the city, to join the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) demonstration against alleged examination irregularities.
Similar protests were earlier held in Delhi, Pune and Lucknow to press for reforms in India’s education system, greater transparency in examinations and stronger accountability for issues affecting students.
Starting his address with the slogans “Jo Bole So Nihal-Sat Sri Akal” and “Waheguru Ka Khalsa – Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh”, Dipke said, “I returned from the US because the government is ignoring students’ voices. If Dharmendra Pardhan does not tender his resignation, this agitation will spread across the nation. Pardhan has ruined the future of 1 crore students. Many ended their lives, but the government is taking no action.”
“We will all go to Delhi on June 20 and camp there until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns. Do not be afraid to go to jail. When I returned to India from the US, I also thought that I would be put behind bars.The main objective is to provide justice to NEET and CBSE students,” Dipke told the gathering.
The CJP founder, who first visited the Golden Temple after arriving in Amritsar, also said that no agitation can succeed in the country without support from Punjab. “The farmers’ agitation against the (now repealed) farm laws began from Punjab. I had gone to the Singhu border to join the protesters. We saw how the Centre tried to defame the agitation,” he said.
Reiterating that Pradhan must step down after taking responsibility for the examination fiascos, Dipke said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to make a choice – either he is with the students or with an incompetent and failed minister. He must decide soon.”
Varun Rana, media functionary of the AAP in Amritsar, who joined the protest with other local leaders, said, “We are here to support the genuine concerns of the youth. We don’t support the CJP, but we support the issues raised.”
(With agency inputs)
