Why Gen Z in Delhi is Rallying Against the Education Minister

The capital’s streets have been turned into a stage for a massive youth movement that started as an online joke but exploded into tens of thousands of protesters in July. This wave is demanding that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign after the collapse of the NEET exam, which was abruptly cancelled after a wave of leaked questions. The controversy has already claimed lives, with 20 candidates taking their own lives in despair.

The movement is led by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30‑year‑old political strategist who studied at Boston University. He described the group as a joke, but a Google‑form sign‑up attracted a huge response and turned the CJP into a serious protest force. The catalyst for the March‑on‑season was the forced medical evacuation of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a twenty‑day hunger strike at Jantar Mantar supporting the CJP.

The slogan “Cockroach Janta Party” came from a comparison by Chief Justice Surya Kant, who called struggling young people “cockroaches” in a court hearing. The parody satirised the ruling BJP and turned into a viral symbol; CJP activists now dress in roach masks at rallies and cleanup drives.

The heart of the CJP’s agenda is the overhaul of India’s education system, especially exam security and fairness. The NEET scandal of 2024 and 2026 has left a reputational wound that the protestors want to heal. They also want the government to treat student protestors with respect, citing police baton‑charging as an “attack on democracy.”

The protest marked the biggest student‑led demonstration against the Modi administration in recent years and has attracted support from opposition politicians such as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. The movement’s ability to bring together students, activists, and opposition parties suggests it poses a real challenge to current governance.