Fast ends, protest doesn’t: CJP sticks to its demand for Pradhan’s resignation after Wangchuk ends 26-day hunger strike

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Friday said its protest at Jantar Mantar would continue even after social activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike, maintaining that the agitation would end only if Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the party was relieved that Wangchuk had ended his fast but reiterated that the protest would continue.

Advertisement

“Our protest will continue until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns. We are very happy and relieved that Sonam sir has ended his hunger strike, as it had been over 26 days. His life is extremely precious to this country,” Dipke told reporters.

He also said any talks with the Centre should take place at a neutral venue.

“Our demonstration will go on until Dharmendra Pradhan steps down. Any meeting must take place at a neutral location or venue. Nothing less than the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan will be accepted,” he said.

CJP outlines next steps

CJP representative Ashutosh Ranka said the party had scheduled a press conference and meetings as discussions with the Centre continued.

“There is a meeting with JP Nadda Ji at the CCI scheduled for 12:30. As far as we have been told, Jitendra Singh Ji might also be present there. Whatever is discussed will be shared with you all. We have also organised a press conference at 11:00, where we will provide more details,” he said.

Ranka said Wangchuk ended his hunger strike after receiving government assurances on some of the protesters’ demands.

“We were constantly requesting Sonam Ji to end her hunger strike as her health was continuously deteriorating. We are very proud that Sonam Ji has made the government accept two of our conditional demands: no legal action will be taken against any of the protesters, and adequate compensation will be provided. Although the return details for that are yet to come, Sonam Ji has officially ended her hunger strike,” he said.

However, he maintained that the party’s primary demand remained unchanged.

“We want to make it very clear that this protest at Jantar Mantar will continue until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns. His resignation has been the core demand of this movement from the very beginning, and until Pradhan Ji resigns, we are not going to step back,” Ranka said.

PM’s remarks cited

Referring to a video released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ranka claimed the government was under public pressure and urged it to remove the Education Minister.

“Finally, we noticed that for the first time, the Prime Minister had to release a selfie video at 12 midnight, which shows that the pressure is very high. Prime Minister, you said that today you want to take very strict action; for us the strictest action would be to remove Dharmendra Pradhan. If you remove him quickly, then we will believe that you are truly serious about the youth of this country,” he said.

CJP spokesperson Deepak Balyan also said the agitation would continue indefinitely, alleging that assurances of fast-track courts were insufficient to address concerns over the alleged examination paper leak.

Earlier in the day, Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike at Medanta Hospital after receiving a written assurance from the Union government regarding the NEET examination issue and proposed reforms to the country’s competitive examination system. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also said those responsible for alleged paper leaks would face strict action and that the Union Cabinet would consider a draft Bill providing for fast-track courts and stricter punishment for offenders.

(With inputs from ANI)