After a 36-day protest at Jantar Mantar organized by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), the Modi government has reportedly agreed to all demands made by the demonstrators, even accepting the resignation of a minister. Protest leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka have expressed their commitment to carrying the movement forward at the grassroots level without completely ruling out future political involvement. The government has also agreed, through CJP’s initiative, to release students detained in Assam and Bihar and to withdraw cases against them.
July 13, Kathmandu: Since the protest ended on July 25 at Jantar Mantar, all signs of the demonstration have been removed. The graffiti created by ‘Gen Z’ protestors has been painted over with white paint. Videos from CJP’s celebration parties have surfaced, marking a festive atmosphere at the site that had witnessed 36 days of resistance through scorching heat and monsoon rains, with handheld fans, umbrellas, soaked tents, and protest slogans.
The Jantar Mantar protest is considered one of the most effective demonstrations during Modi’s tenure, with no doubts about its impact. Abhijit Deepke returned to India on June 6, and since then the protest ensured its demands were met.
What is CJP’s core team saying? The last time the Modi government yielded to protests was during the 2020-21 farmers’ movement. On Saturday, CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka held a press conference alongside JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, confirming that the government had accepted all their demands. This development took many by surprise, given the government’s reputation for rejecting protest or opposition demands.
Remarkably, the CJP movement secured the resignation of a central minister in record time. Following the protest’s visibility, widespread discussions about CJP’s future began.
For the past month, Saurav Das has been vocal at numerous press conferences. In one interview, he stated, “We want to take this movement to the grassroots level. We want to raise awareness among people. Regardless of who is in power, the public should be able to hold them accountable.”
“I believe the time has come for more youth to engage in politics. Those in power are around 70 years old. They don’t understand what Gen Z means. They don’t know how Gen Z thinks. They can’t simply post a reel at midnight saying ‘hello friends’; the public won’t accept that,” he added.
In an interview with India Today, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka shared his views, saying, “We have many dreams and aspirations. Education and accountability are key issues for us. Our goal is to provide a platform where young people can raise their issues and get solutions. We will do whatever is necessary to sustain this platform.”
When asked whether he ruled out entering politics himself, Ranka responded, “From my limited political experience, I’ve learned one thing: no possibility should be completely dismissed.”
While both spokespersons did not completely reject the idea of entering politics, the key figure of the protest, Abhijit Deepke, is more hesitant about a political career. He originally coined the term ‘Cockroach Janata Party Movement’ based on Chief Justice Surya Kant’s comment.
Deepke considers public life difficult. In a video interview with Indian Express, prior to the July 20 “Chalo Sansad” march, he stated, “I don’t want to enter politics; public life is very tough. People have shown us a lot of support and have high expectations. If we do nothing, we’d regret having missed the opportunity.”
The movement began in May of this year when Deepke posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), “What if all cockroaches came together?” The ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ started as a satirical social media movement after Chief Justice Surya Kant described unemployed youth criticizing the system online as “cockroaches.” Deepke traveled to India on June 6 to translate the virtual support into a ground movement, which went on to make history.
What is the CJP currently doing? Presently, CJP spokespersons are advocating for the release of students detained after protests in Assam and Bihar by engaging with the government and police in those states.
On Monday night, spokespersons Saurav Das and Ratna Singh shared on X, “Within hours of our press conference, government representatives met with us for almost two to three hours. They shared notifications from the Bihar and Assam governments promising to withdraw all FIRs, halt future actions, and release all detainees and arrested protestors.”
“The central government and other BJP-ruled states are expected to issue similar notifications by tomorrow. We hope the exact language of the agreement will be used,” they added.
“No protester will be left alone. We are all together in this struggle,” they wrote.
Whether CJP will evolve into a political force remains to be seen, but the leaders who emerged from this movement have not dismissed these possibilities.
