A supporter carries the Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke (in white) on his shoulder during a protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on June 6, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
On June 6, thousands converged at Jantar Mantar for a peaceful protest, propelling the social media movement of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) from screens to the streets and calling for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Addressing the protesters, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke declared: “The youth of this country will no longer fear; they will fight. Cockroaches do not fear either—they never die.”
The protest got off to a subdued start, with only a handful of demonstrators on the ground, vastly outnumbered by the media contingent covering the event. As the day progressed, the gathering gradually gained momentum and attendance steadily grew, though the turnout remained modest in comparison to the CJP’s more than 22 million followers on Instagram. Many protesters had travelled from other States to voice their frustration and their anger with the ruling dispensation.
N. Jaysimha, a former employee of All India Radio who was posted in Andhra Pradesh, flew from Hyderabad to Delhi for the protest. He said that he resigned from his job ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election to speak openly about developments in the country. “As a government employee, I could never do that. During the election I engaged through social media, actively encouraging people to vote for the right leaders and make informed choices. Health and education should be priorities,” he told Frontline.
He said he was drawn to the CJP because it had forged a collective voice through social media, particularly Instagram. “It is high time. We are grappling with numerous problems and challenges, yet the youth are being diverted towards the IPL, films, and religious issues. This protest seeks to foreground discussions on education and freedom of speech,” he said. Jaysimha also contended that in a country where the Prime Minister has not addressed a press conference in the past 12 years, it is imperative for young people to speak up and make their voices heard.
“Given the hopeless situation we are in, a protest of this magnitude was bound to happen,” said Zeenat, a NEET aspirant whose examination was cancelled days after she wrote it. She is now preparing for the re-examination scheduled for June 21. “More than half of India’s youth live in poverty. How are families supposed to educate their children? Many are selling their land to fund their studies. After years of hard work and sacrifice, examination papers get leaked. Students are left devastated. They no longer know whether to continue, whether to sit for the examination again, or what course of action to take,” she added.
Launched as a satirical platform
The CJP was launched as a satirical platform in response to remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a hearing. He had likened unemployed young people in the country to “cockroaches”, asserting that they were unable to secure jobs and subsequently resorted to social media, journalism, and RTI activism to “attack the system”. Within days, the CJP’s Instagram page garnered more than 20 million followers while X withheld its account in India in compliance with a government directive. According to many observers, the government’s reaction only bolstered the movement’s legitimacy and amplified its appeal.
Environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk at the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar on June 6.
| Photo Credit:
ANI
On June 4, the CJP held its first press conference, with the journalist Saurav Das assuming the role of chief spokesperson. He was joined by the political researcher and filmmaker Vijeta Dahiya and former management consultant Ashutosh Ranka. The party had announced these appointments earlier on the same day. A petition circulated a couple of weeks ago had demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Citing the petition—which has already garnered more than eight lakh signatures—Das described the current system as “unaccountable” and argued that the “culture of non-accountability needs to go”.
The protest was suffused with a sense of frustration and disillusionment. The scorching June afternoon reverberated with slogans such as “We want justice” and “Dharmendra Pradhan Isteefa Do” (Dharmendra Pradhan must resign).
However, the gathering also attracted fringe elements who echoed the government’s line and branded the protesters as “anti-national”. Such rhetoric has also emanated from the highest levels of government. Senior Cabinet Minister Kiren Rijiju has accused the group of seeking support from Pakistan and the “anti-India gang”, a labelling frequently used the ruling BJP to denounce detractors and dissenters.
Disenchantment with media
A striking aspect of the protest was the Gen Z participants’ disenchantment with the mainstream media. Slogans such as “Godi Media Go Back” rang out across the gathering, reflecting a deep sense of mistrust. Protesters pointed out that no major mainstream television channel had bothered to telecast the demonstration live; many of them viewed this as further evidence of media indifference for their concerns.
“The reason we are here demanding accountability is because the media is not,” remarked Dipti, a Delhi University student. “Isn’t journalism supposed to challenge the establishment?” She argued that the media had contributed to the gradual erosion of governmental accountability. “The CBSE fiasco was uncovered by a school student who was not even 18 years old. Why is a child undertaking investigative journalism? That is the media’s job,” she said.
The CJP protest reflected popular frustration over the ills plaguing the education system. The NEET paper leak and the flaws in the CBSE’s on-screen marking system have affected thousands of students across the country.
| Photo Credit:
Vedaant Lakhera
India has nearly 400 million people aged between 15 and 29. Creating sufficient non-farm employment opportunities for them remains one of the nation’s most pressing challenges. The urban youth unemployment rate stood at nearly 14 per cent in April. Many educated young people also remain trapped in low-paying or precarious jobs that do not match their qualifications and skills.
Dipke announced that this was only the beginning and that the protest would assume a national character in the coming months. Whether that ambition ultimately materialises remains to be seen, but the sizeable turnout on June 6 reflected a growing disillusionment with traditional political parties among the youth.
One protester observed, “I don’t think it’s an apolitical protest just because it is not associated with a political party. The protest is about politics; it is a political protest. But it is not aligned with any one party. People are finally engaging with politics, evaluating political actors, and forming opinions about them. So, I don’t think it is an apolitical protest. It is definitely a step towards greater political participation among the youth.”
Also Read | Can Abhijeet Dipke and CJP survive the real world?
Also Read | CJP’s ideology would be secular, democratic, and socialist—striving for social justice: Abhijeet Dipke
