CJP plans Sept 5 march over exam irregularities, slams Centre's bungalow spending
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday, August 24 announced a protest march in Delhi on September 5 against the Centre.
The CJP said its march, scheduled for Teachers' Day, would begin at India Gate and proceed towards the Delhi Police Headquarters. The announcement came a month after the outfit withdrew its 36-day agitation against alleged examination irregularities following negotiations with the Centre.
The party said the September 5 demonstration would be led by families of students who died by suicide following the cancellation of the NEET examination and subsequent re-test, as well as those who were allegedly subjected to police excesses during its July agitation.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the CJP National Working Committee on Monday.
Delhi Police, however, said it had not received any request seeking permission for the proposed march.
"We have not received any request letter so far. If we receive any request, we will review it accordingly," a police source said.
The announcement came amid a separate political row over the rising expenditure on the official residences of Union ministers in Delhi, with the CJP saying the money could instead be used to improve government schools.
According to information obtained through an RTI query, expenditure by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) on renovation, furnishing and repairs of Union ministers' official residences rose from Rs 27.47 crore in 2014-15 to a record Rs 92.35 crore in 2025-26.
The CPWD, which maintains the residences in the Lutyens Bungalow Zone, spent a cumulative Rs 547.68 crore on such works over the 12 years from 2014-15 to 2025-26.
The CJP said the Rs 92 crore spent last year could instead have been used to construct 10 new government schools.
"Stop fixing your lavish homes, and fix the schools! Rs 92 crore = 10 new world-class government schools. The money is available, the intent to use it for government schools is missing," the outfit said in a post on X.
The Congress also accused the Modi government of "splurging" on ministers' bungalows while people face inflation and inadequate public infrastructure.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate pointed out that the expenditure had more than tripled over the period, from Rs 27.47 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 92.35 crore in 2025-26.
AAP leader and former Delhi minister Somnath Bharti, meanwhile, compared the expenditure with the BJP's criticism of the previous AAP government's spending on the official residence used by former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The BJP had repeatedly targeted the previous AAP government over renovation and construction expenses at Kejriwal's Civil Lines residence, describing it as a "sheesh mahal".
Officials have attributed the increase in expenditure on ministers' residences to the cost of maintaining ageing bungalows, many of which are 80 to 100 years old and face problems including seepage, termite infestation and ageing electrical and plumbing systems.
The annual expenditure averaged Rs 26.78 crore between 2014-15 and 2018-19, rose to around Rs 50 crore between 2019-20 and 2023-24, and subsequently increased to Rs 71.98 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 92.35 crore in 2025-26.
(With inputs from PTI)
