As the protest demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation entered its seventh day in New Delhi on Friday, Cockroach Janta Party
(CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke marked the minister's birthday with a pointed message at Jantar Mantar. In a video shared from the protest site, Dipke is seen writing on a whiteboard, "Happy Birthday, Pradhan. Please resign," while supporters sing the birthday song in the background. After writing the message, Dipke addressed the minister, saying, "A very happy birthday to you, Dharmendra Pradhan. Do us a favour and resign. As a birthday gift, we can even send you the resignation letter, you'll only have to put your thumb on it." The gesture comes amid the ongoing protest, with demonstrators continuing to press for Pradhan's resignation.
'BJP Goons Assaulting Reporters, Protesters At Jantar Mantar': CJP Founder
Earlier in the day, Dipke alleged that BJP workers physically assaulted reporters and protesters at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, where his sit-in protest over the NEET paper leak and alleged exam irregularities entered its seventh day. Sharing videos on X, Dipke claimed the BJP 'goons' attacked journalists and demonstrators in the presence of Delhi Police.
In one of the videos, a voice is heard saying, "Our members are getting hit in front of Delhi police." However, no visible assault can be seen in the footage. The claims and circumstances shown in the videos could not be independently verified.
Dipke has maintained that the protest will continue until Pradhan resigns. He also alleged that the Centre had not initiated talks with the protesters, claiming, "They are calling us terrorists instead."
The protest has drawn participation from students, NEET aspirants and members of Left student organisations, including the Students' Federation of India (SFI), All India Students' Association (AISA) and All India Students' Federation (AISF). The AISF has also set up a free library at the protest venue under its campaign, 'Fight for Education with Education'.
