Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Tuesday announced that he will be joining the Cockroach Janta Party June 6 protest call if no action is taken by June 5, backing the movement's demand for the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Sonam Wangchuk took to X and Instagram to announce the move. He said, “I will be joining the CJP members in Delhi on 6th June if nothing changes by 5th June. Any self respecting minister should resign if things go so wrong... Not to mention the effect on millions of young lives and in fact the future of India.”
This comes hours after founder Abhijeet Dipke hinted that an eminent personality would back the movement. Shortly before the announcement, Dipke posted on X saying, “The wait is over,” while the party’s backup account, ‘Cockroach Is Back’, said it was “about to make a big announcement”.
‘Dipke’s intentions focused on improving country'
In a video message, he said he had spoken to Dipke and reviewed data shared by him. Wangchuk said he was convinced that the movement reflected concerns among young people and that Dipke's intentions were focused on improving the country.
{{/usCountry}}In a video message, he said he had spoken to Dipke and reviewed data shared by him. Wangchuk said he was convinced that the movement reflected concerns among young people and that Dipke's intentions were focused on improving the country.
{{/usCountry}}“Friends, in the last post, I told you guys, the cockroaches, to prove, to convince, that the Cockroach Janata Party is an expression of the Indian youth, and not a conspiracy of foreign powers. After this, many of you have written about this in the comments, and Dipke ji contacted me, I spoke to him, and he shared this data with me, which I am sharing with you now. And after talking to him, I felt that he has no wrong intentions, he is very patriotic, but he is making a sacrifice, a sacrifice, to improve the country.”
‘Issue beyond NEET, CBSE controversies’
Explaining why he was supporting the protest, Wangchuk said the issue went beyond controversies surrounding NEET, CUET and CBSE examinations and reflected deeper concerns about the state of education in India. He highlighted his decades-long work in the education sector and expressed disappointment over the pace of change.
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“And you must have also seen, that on 6th January, he is calling people in Delhi, so that we can ask for the resignation of the Education Minister. Now, the reason for him and you guys, can be the NEET papers, or CUET and CBSE exams. But for me, this is a bigger issue.”
“Look, since the last 4 decades, I have been fighting for education. As soon as I finished engineering, I started improving education, that too in government schools, in remote villages. And when I don't see any change, I feel disappointed, and I feel the need to do something.”
‘Implementation of policies a concern’
Wangchuk also said that while policy initiatives such as the National Education Policy and the vision of a developed India were promising, their implementation on the ground remained a concern.
“So, the big issue is, what is happening with our education? Very good policies are coming, for which I am very happy. You must have seen the new education policy. But how much is being implemented on it, how much is being done on the ground, I am very disappointed to see that.”
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“Similarly, you must have seen, there is an initiative of developed India. Now, who doesn't like developed India? But if you look at its implementation, you may be disappointed. Will India develop in 2047 or not? If you want to see this, then I have a magical solution.”
Showing a snippet of students in schools under poor conditions, Wangchuk questioned whether India could achieve its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047 without improving these conditions.
“See their condition, and you tell me, is developed India going to be true? These are the children who are in the pre-primary classes in the villages of India. They will be the same in 2047. They will be running India. So, do you think that India is going to develop, if this condition of our schools remains? That is why I say that the intention is very good,” he added.
“For the intention, I will give 10 out of 10 to the government. But then, how much is the action on it, it will decide how much of this will be a blessing. Because the action itself is the blessing.”
He said that looking at the “miracles” done by previous education ministers, “I don't think that India is going to be developed.”
“So, for these reasons, I want the resignation of the Education Minister."
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Wangchuk urges PM to take action
Calling for accountability, Wangchuk urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action and said that in a democracy, an education minister should resign if such failures occur under their watch.
"So, to improve all this, I will request the Prime Minister that in any self-respecting country, in democracy, if there is any self-respecting Education Minister, if there is such a thing, if the papers are leaked, and if something is not going on, then he will resign. He will resign. So, I hope that this will happen in the next few days, or change, or resign," he said.
Wangchuk reiterated that he would join the Cockroach Janata Party's protest in Delhi on June 6 if no action is taken by June 5.
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"And if this does not happen by 5th June, then I will be forced to join you on 6th June to request this in Delhi. So, I am coming to Delhi to join you, to join Dipke ji. You also tell me, are you coming?" he said.
Ending his message with a call for public participation, Wangchuk said, "If not now, when? If not us, who? If not now, then when? And if not us, then who will bring change in India? That's all for today. Jai Hind."
CJP founder to return to India
Dipke on Monday announced that he will return to India on June 6 and hold a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The protest will mark Dipke's first visit to India since launching the satirical political outfit, which has gained significant traction on social media.