Dharmendra Pradhan: India education minister resigns after Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests
What is the Cockroach Janta Party?published at 10:35 BST
The CJP has emerged as one of India’s biggest youth protest movements, despite not being a political party.
The group was formed after the chief justice of India likened some unemployed young people to “cockroaches”. He later said he was referring specifically to people with “fake and bogus degrees”, but by then, the term had taken a life on its own.
Many young people – frustrated by rising unemployment and irregularities in competitive exams – embraced it, turning the insect into a symbol of defiance and resilience.
Image source, Getty Images
Led by Abhijeet Dipke, the CJP campaigned for reforms to India’s education system, greater accountability over exam paper leaks and the resignation of Pradhan.
The movement quickly gained a huge following online and later drew tens of thousands to protesters in the capital.
