New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party Saturday released an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to break his “resounding silence’ over its protest at the Jantar Mantar and hold Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accountable for alleged exam paper leaks and student suicides.
In the two-page letter titled “A Question of Humanity: How Long Will You Ignore Jantar Mantar?”, the CJP said its protest had entered its 15th day while activist Sonam Wangchuk was on the seventh day of his indefinite fast.
The letter, signed by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and spokespersons Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka, Vaishnavi Gaur, Aafreen Nawaz, Deepak Baliyan, Ratna Singh and Vijeta Dahiya, also questioned why the prime minister had not responded despite their prolonged agitation, which began at the Jantar Mantar on June 20.
“We have been sitting in protest at the Jantar Mantar for the past 15 days, and today marks the seventh day of educationist Sonam Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike. How long will your government choose to ignore our voices, sir?” the CJP said in the letter.
“A hunger strike in a civil society is meant to bring moral pressure upon the powers that be. The underlying principle is simple: when someone like Sonam Wangchuk, a man who has dedicated his entire life, mind and soul to this country and to the cause of education, refuses to consume food, it is supposed to elicit a conscious response, whether moral or political, from the government of the day.
“Yet, you have not spoken a single word,” it said.
The CJP said the protest was launched against repeated exam paper leaks, the education minister’s refusal to accept “moral responsibility” and resign, and the government’s “failure” to provide justice and relief to the families of students who died by suicide.
“We are sitting here because your government has repeatedly failed to stop exam paper leaks that have shattered the faith and future of crores of young Indians,” it said.
The CJP claimed that the number of such deaths had risen from 11 before the protest began June 20 to 29.
“No government is above questioning. No minister is above responsibility. And no administration can silence citizens for demanding answers,” the letter said.
This protest is “not just a political exercise but also a desperate cry to save the lives of our youth”, it said.
“Instead of an empathetic dialogue, your minister Dharmendra Pradhan has labeled us terrorists, and your party president has called us names, threatening that the youth of India will be ‘taught a lesson’ for daring to raise our voices against this broken, corrupt system and these preventable deaths,” the CJP said.
Accusing the prime minister of maintaining a “resounding silence”, the CJP alleged that the Centre had responded to peaceful protesters with contempt rather than dialogue.
“Your resounding silence makes us ask do you truly believe we are just ‘cockroaches’?” the CJP asked in the letter.
“If you, as the prime minister, refuse to respond to the Cockroach Janta Party’s peaceful hunger strike, your silence stands as a tacit admission that you view the youth of this country as nothing more than pests to be ignored,” it said.
The youth movement also claimed that Delhi Police personnel assaulted students at the protest site and threw books onto muddy roads.
It demanded immediate suspension of two Delhi Police officers, alleging that books on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, B R Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh had been desecrated during the incident.
The letter said the alleged police action reflected a “disdain for knowledge itself”, and questioned why students protesting for educational reforms could not maintain a small library at the protest site.
“Break your silence, listen to the voice of India’s future before it is completely lost, and hold your minister Dharmendra Pradhan accountable,” the CJP said.
The protest has drawn support from several political leaders and civil society members, including CPI(M)’s M A Baby, Brinda Karat, CPI’s D Raja and Annie Raja, CPI(ML) Liberation’s Dipankar Bhattacharya, social activist Yogendra Yadav, Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, transparency activist Anjali Bhardwaj, RTI activist Nikhil Dey and Trinamool Congress MPs Sagarika Ghose and Mahua Moitra.
The protest began on June 20 over irregularities in several exams, including NEET-UG, the premier national medical entrance test held on May 3, which was cancelled over alleged paper leaks May 12.
