Hours after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tendered his resignation on Saturday, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke reacted cautiously to the development, urging supporters not to treat him as the face of the movement’s success. He described the resignation as an early milestone rather than the finish line, signalling that the CJP’s broader fight was far from over.
In response to the resignation, Dipke announced that the organisation would hold a nationwide candlelight march coupled with a silent vigil at 6 PM the same evening, calling on supporters across the country to participate in a peaceful show of solidarity with the movement.
Echoing similar sentiments, CJP member Saurav Das characterised the resignation as a validation of India’s democratic and constitutional principles, framing the outcome as proof that sustained public pressure through legitimate means could bring accountability from those in power.
The remarks came on a day of high political drama, with Pradhan’s resignation capping weeks of protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination. The CJP, which had been at the forefront of the agitation at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, has maintained that its campaign will continue until its remaining demands — including compensation for affected families and the withdrawal of legal cases against protesting students — are formally met.
With the candlelight vigil scheduled for the evening, attention now turns to the scale of participation and whether the government will respond further to the CJP’s outstanding demands in the aftermath of the minister’s exit.
