It was jubilation at Jantar Mantar on Saturday as BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down as Union Education Minister. Protesters raised slogans of "Inquilab Zindabad" and "Vande Mataram" as news of his resignation came in, following the nearly month-long protest over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak. What began at Delhi's Jantar Mantar had spread across the country.
The Gen-Z protesters who led the movement felt vindicated. "It's a big victory for the movement," said Sarthak, a student activist with Disha Students' Organisation.
"We, the students, are very happy," said Vaibhav, a student activist with the All India Students' Federation (AISF).
While Pradhan's resignation came as good news for the protesters, the fight, they say, is far from over. Education reforms, they insist, remain the end goal.
"The movement doesn't end here," said Sarthak. "We had said from the start that we are cockroaches, and we need to clean the system. We are talking about education for all. There should be no paper leaks, and we are demanding the scrapping of the NEP and the NTA," said Vaibhav.
Starting as a satirical meme page by political communications strategist Abhijit Dipke, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) launched the protest on June 20, demanding Pradhan's resignation. Social activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the protest and began an indefinite hunger strike on June 28.
Large numbers of people joined the movement after Wangchuk was forcibly taken to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18. It only grew bigger following the planned Sansad Chalo march on July 20 and the police action that followed, which left several protesters injured. The movement went viral on the internet, with memes and videos of injured protesters circulating side by side, drawing more people to the protest.
Following multiple rounds of negotiations, Pradhan stepped down, and the CJP called off the agitation after the Centre accepted its demands. These include the withdrawal of FIRs against protesters and an assurance that no action will be taken against them in the future.
"It's a first step, but a huge step in reshaping our education system. Well done to students across the country; we are proud of all of you," said Congress president Rahul Gandhi in a video message.
