Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke launched a fierce attack on the government, claiming that while the Centre is paying crores to buy MPs and MLAs and flying them to distant locations, students are ignored and their families are in heavy debt.
In an exclusive interview with Times Now, the CJP founder, whose movement has staged its second demonstration at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Saturday, noted that CJP has been receiving "overwhelming" response from every part of the country.
According to him, there has been one single demand from the participants of the movement—the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
He pointed out that more than 12 students have killed themselves, and six of these suicides happened in the past 48 hours.
"...instead of it decreasing, it's (suicides) increasing closer to the re-exam date. Pradhan should take moral responsibility and resign immediately," he was quoted as saying.
Dipke said many parents who have sold their lands or taken out loans to fund the education of their children are in debt, but the government is not doing anything to help such people.
"It's the responsibility of the state to take them out of this. Instead, you are horse-trading. There can't be a bigger tragedy," he noted.
Further, he made an appeal to the opposition to forego the political difference and support the CJP to seek justice for students who have killed themselves.
Meanwhile, a large number of students and supporters of the CJP joined the demonstration in Delhi over alleged examination irregularities, repeated paper leaks and demands for accountability from the government.
Supporters responded to Dipke's call to bring "thali and chammach" (plates and spoons), using them as symbols of protest and banging them during the demonstration. Chants of "Dharmendra Pradhan must resign" echoed at the venue, as protesters renewed their demand for accountability over issues related to examination management.
Dipke arrived at the protest venue to huge cheers from the crowd and said they want to resolve the issues faced by the students.
"We are here to solve today's students' problems," he said.
