PM's response insufficient, won't leave Jantar Mantar until Pradhan resigns: CJP

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on action against paper leaks did not address the issue of accountability and reiterated its demand for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.

Modi, in a post on X on Thursday morning, announced setting up of fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks, and said, "nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth".

Reacting to the prime minister's post on X, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke shared an image of Pradhan carrying the caption, "Hi, my name is nothing", while the CJP posted, "Dharmendra Pradhan Must Resign."

CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka welcomed the prime minister's response but said it came after nearly one-and-a-half months of protests and did not answer the central question behind repeated paper leaks.

"The first thing is that it is good that after one-and-a-half months of protests, the prime minister has finally taken notice. Perhaps his foreign visits are over and he has returned to India, which is a good thing," Ranka said.

"But what punishment are you imposing after the paper leak has already taken place? That is not going to solve the problem of paper leaks. The real question is why paper leaks are happening in the first place. That question must be answered," he said.

"Applying ointment after an injury is one thing, but the real fight is about preventing the injury from happening in the first place. The injury keeps happening because the people running the system are neither accountable nor competent. Therefore, these measures are not sufficient by any means," he said.

Ranka claimed that public anger over the issue was now increasingly being directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with more protesters raising slogans against him.

"We will not leave this place until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns," he said.

"...A large number of people are here with passion and determination, and everyone is demanding his resignation. But as the days pass, the issue is no longer confined to Dharmendra Pradhan," Ranka said.

Ranka alleged that the agitation had widened beyond the demand for the education minister's resignation and was now increasingly targeting the Centre's leadership.

"The focus is now shifting towards the prime minister. If you listen to the slogans here, you will find that people's anger is increasingly being directed at him over why he is not listening to them. The government should understand this because people have now started asking questions directly to the Prime Minister," he said.

The CJP-led agitation began on June 20 and is demanding accountability over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, reforms in the education system and the resignation of Pradhan.

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who joined the agitation on June 28 and has been on an indefinite hunger strike since then, has offered to end his fast if the Centre assures that no punitive action or FIRs are initiated against peaceful protesters who participated in the movement.