Modi government under growing pressure as 'cockroach' protests intensify in India

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - NEW DELHI — Pressure has been mounting on India's right-wing government with thousands of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters continuing to protest in the capital Delhi despite heavy rains overnight.

The protests, which have been led predominantly by students and a social media-driven movement, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), have emerged as one of the biggest challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

Protesters have called for the resignation of Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after a leak of medical school test papers forced more than two million medical students to retake their exams and was linked to at least 12 student suicides.

They also protested against the aggressive response to the student protests, which are demanding educational reform and greater government accountability.

The youth-led movement got a boost on Tuesday when India's main opposition Congress party leaders protested outside the prime minister's house.

They were protesting against the brutal police crackdown on Monday's CJP protest in which dozens of protesters and policemen were injured.

Gandhi and other opposition leaders were detained on Tuesday during the sit-in outside Modi’s residence accusing the government of ignoring student demands.

Congress shared videos of their MP Rahul Gandhi and others being dragged into buses and taken to detention centers. They were later released.

In his first comments since protesters marched on parliament on Monday, Pradhan condemned Gandhi’s sit-in in a post on X on Tuesday night, saying he continues “to shamelessly exploit students as political tools to manufacture disruption”.

“The students of India deserve far better than being treated as props in a political campaign. They deserve certainty over chaos, solutions over slogans, and responsibility over disruption,” he wrote.

The CJP has attracted millions of followers on social media since it launched two months ago. Its popularity reflects growing frustrations among young Indians over issues such as job shortages and exam leaks, which they say occur frequently.

On Monday, police in New Delhi confronted protesters as they marched toward parliament, using tear gas and batons to push them back.

According to police, 178 people including 118 police personnel were injured in the ensuing clashes.

Protests were also held in Mumbai and Bengaluru, drawing hundreds of people.

On Wednesday, hundreds of people remained camped at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protest site as the CJP promised to continue its campaign.

The movement gained momentum from the support of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who began a hunger strike on June 28 but was forcibly moved to a hospital by police on Saturday.

On Tuesday, he was moved to a private hospital by court order after a petition from his wife alleged he had been illegally detained.

On Monday, tens of thousands of protesters flooded central Delhi after the CJP called for a march to parliament as the monsoon session began. At least 60 people were injured after police used batons and tear gas to disperse the crowds.

Officers also dismantled the stage and makeshift tents at Jantar Mantar, the protest's main base near the 300-year-old observatory. But the demonstrators have refused to leave, maintaining a round-the-clock sit-in.

A day after the violence, they were visited by several senior opposition leaders such as former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and veteran politician Sharad Pawar.

Later on Tuesday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Gandhi led a surprise march to Modi's house, demanding the resignations of Pradhan, Home Minister Amit Shah who the Delhi police report to and Modi.

Gandhi said the government must apologize to students for the crackdown, adding that the Congress decided to stage a protest outside Modi's house because they weren't allowed to raise the issue in the parliament.

He said he had met speaker Om Birla to seek a discussion, but "the speaker said he needed to take permission from the government, but it was very clear to us that there was no interest in the government of having a debate".

Federal Minister Jitendra Singh denied Gandhi's allegation saying he informed the Congress MP that the government had accepted his demand for a discussion but alleged that Gandhi later also demanded the resignation of Pradhan.

He accused Gandhi of "changing the goalpost" and of refusing to end the protest despite being told that the place wasn't conducive to such demonstrations.

A satirical political movement, CJP was inspired by remarks made earlier this year by India's chief justice, who used the word "cockroach" to describe unemployed young people turning to activism.

Monday's huge turnout showed that the CJP, though not a registered political party, has evolved into a movement capable of drawing tens of thousands onto the streets.