New Delhi, Aug 24: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday called for a protest march in Delhi on September 5, accusing the Centre of failing to honour the promises made on July 25 to convince the outfit to withdraw its 36-day agitation against examination irregularities.
The march, to be held on Teachers’ Day, will begin at India Gate and proceed towards the Delhi Police Headquarters, the CJP announced in a statement.
It said the march would be led by families of students who died by suicide following the cancellation of NEET exam and the subsequent re-test, and those who were allegedly subjected to police excesses during the July agitation.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the CJP National Working Committee on Monday, a month after the outfit called off its agitation following negotiations with the Centre.
“Our patience cannot be mistaken for weakness. Our good faith cannot become an opportunity for the government to betray the young people of this country,” the CJP, which began as a satirical online platform before turning into a youth movement, said.
The CJP’s agitation began at Jantar Mantar on June 20 over alleged irregularities in the examination system and the NEET paper leak and subsequently spread to other parts of the country. On July 20, a march to Parliament led by the outfit descended into chaos and violence as police cracked down on the protesters, leading to scores of injuries.
The CJP’s agitation ended on July 25 after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as the union Education Minister and the government, following talks with CJP representatives, agreed to its other demands, including compensation for families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide, and withdrawal of FIRs against protesters.
The two sides had also agreed to hold further discussions on broader examination reforms.
CJP representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka had announced the withdrawal of the protest at a joint press conference with Union ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh, saying they were ending the agitation in “good faith” on the understanding that the agreed terms would be implemented within the stipulated timeline.
The outfit has since repeatedly accused the Centre of dragging its feet, particularly on the promise to withdraw FIRs and the protection of protesters from punitive action.
The issue had reached the Supreme Court, where the CJP on August 18 accused the Centre of resisting efforts to facilitate the quashing of FIRs against students and protesters. It had then warned that failure to show concrete progress on the July 25 commitments could lead to renewed nationwide action.
In its statement on Monday, the CJP alleged that the government had “delayed action, hidden behind technicalities and avoided giving clear commitments” and said a written assurance promised by the Centre was also pending.
“A government cannot take the trust of an entire generation, use it to send young people home, and then quietly retreat from its own word. We will not accept this betrayal,” it said.
The outfit appealed to students, youth organisations and young people from across the country to join the September 5 march, while stressing that the protest would be peaceful.
“The families who lost their children will walk at the front. Victims of police brutality will walk beside them. Behind them will walk a generation demanding only one thing from its government: Keep your word,” it said.
