- Modi promises strict action against those behind exam fraud.
- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also demands Pradhan’s dismissal.
- Violence left at least 178 people injured, according to police.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has rejected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government’s response to the ongoing paper leak controversy, announcing that it will continue its protest until the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
In a statement, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said it was a positive development that the prime minister had finally taken notice after nearly one and a half months of protests. “Perhaps his foreign visits are over, and he has returned to India, which is a good thing,” Press Trust of India quoted Ranka as saying.
Reiterating the party’s stand, Ranka demanded Pradhan’s resignation and said the protests would continue until accountability was established. “We will not leave this place until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns,” he said.
He questioned the effectiveness of imposing punishments after examination papers have already been leaked. “What punishment are you imposing after the paper leak has already taken place? That is not going to solve the problem of paper leaks. The real question is why paper leaks are happening in the first place. That question must be answered,” Ranka said.
The CJP spokesperson was responding to Modi — who in his first direct comments tied to major protests challenging his government — vowed “stringent punishment” for those involved in exam fraud.
Ranka said that treating the damage after it happens is not enough and that the focus should be on preventing such incidents. “Applying ointment after an injury is one thing, but the real fight is about preventing the injury from happening in the first place,” he added.
The CJP spokesperson alleged that repeated paper leaks were a result of a lack of accountability and competence among those responsible for running the system. “The injury keeps happening because the people running the system are neither accountable nor competent. Therefore, these measures are not sufficient by any means,” he said.
Earlier in his social media post, Modi said, “Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth,” promising to set up fast-track courts to punish those involved in question paper leaks.
‘Sack Dharmendra Pradhan’, demands Congress
Meanwhile, leader of the main opposition Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, also responded by quoting Modi’s post and saying that it was the prime minister who had harmed the future of our youth the most.
“You allowed and encouraged the total capture and destruction of our education system – and protected every person responsible for it,” Gandhi said and reiterated that Pradhan should be sacked, Modi should apologise to students, and those who assaulted them should be punished.
“Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared,” he added.
The protesters, mostly young students, have been demanding the resignation of the education minister over exam paper leaks since last month.
Protests snowballed on Monday after police fired tear gas and baton-charged tens of thousands of demonstrators as they tried to march to parliament on the opening day of the monsoon session.
As tensions escalated, protesters responded by hurling stones, marking the largest street rally in the capital in about five years.
At least 178 people, including security personnel, were injured in the violence, according to the police.
The CJP, which has millions of followers on social media, emerged in May initially as a satirical response to Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly likening young people to “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a court hearing.
The movement has since broadened its agenda to include concerns over unemployment, opportunities for young people and what it describes as Modi´s increasingly authoritarian style of governance.
The protests have emerged as one of the biggest challenges to Hindu-nationalist Modi since his re-election for a third term in office in 2024.
A series of exam irregularities have undermined trust in India’s testing system, including the leak of a medical entrance question paper that forced more than two million candidates to retake the test.
Another dispute involving the online marking of examinations taken by nearly two million high school students has further fuelled public anger.
With additional input from AFP and Reuters
