NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Monday said he would return to India from Boston, the US, on June 6 to launch a peaceful protest seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over examination-related lapses.
In a video released on Instagram and X, Dipke called on supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and students to join the protest in Delhi.
“The time has come for all of us to come together, following the path of the Constitution, and peacefully raise our voices to demand Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. If we raise our voices together, they will definitely have to listen to us,” he said.
Dipke, who is presently in Boston where he just finished a master’s course in public relations, also urged CJP supporters to join him at the Delhi airport on June 6 on his return.
“I will arrive in Delhi on Saturday morning, June 6. Please join me at the airport, and together we will go to the Parliament Street police station to seek permission to hold a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar,” he said.
The CJP founder later told PTI that while he has apprehension that he may be arrested upon his return to India, he believes that his planned protest is protected under constitutional guarantees of free expression and peaceful assembly.
However, Dipke said he was more concerned about the threats against his family.
“I'm not much worried about the threats I received personally. But the threats that I received for my family, I am a bit concerned about them. Because my family did not choose to do this; it was my decision. They shouldn't be dragged into this," Dipke told PTI.
“I’m coming to India for a peaceful protest and to seek the resignation of the education minister, following the Constitution of India. Now it's up to the authorities to follow the same,” he added.
The CJP, a youth-driven social media movement founded by Dipke, has gained traction since its launch last month, with many public figures subscribing to it.
In the video, Dipke alleged that exam-related controversies and disruptions had left students anxious, and demanded accountability from the government.
Claiming that an online petition seeking the education minister's resignation had garnered eight lakh signatures, Dipke said protests over education-related issues were being held in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
He also alleged that examination controversies had affected more than one crore students, including those appearing for NEET, CBSE, CUET and SSC GD, leaving them worried about their future.
"If the education minister does not resign even after such a massive blunder, it means there is no such thing as accountability left in our country," Dipke said in the video.
"The time has come for all of us to come together, following the path of the Constitution, and peacefully raise our voices to demand Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation," he added.
Dipke also said that his family and friends fear that he could be arrested upon reaching India, even though he remained hopeful that the authorities would allow a peaceful and democratic protest.
"I still have hope that our country is a democracy even today, and we will get permission to protest peacefully," he said.
Calling himself a "big admirer of (Mahatma) Gandhi, (B R) Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh and (Jawaharlal) Nehru", Dipke said he believes in the Constitution more than anything else.
"And as for the fear of jail, how long will we live in fear?" he asked in the video.
"So, all the peaceful and Constitution-abiding cockroaches, let's all come together to save the future of millions of students," he said.
The cancellation and the subsequent rescheduling of the NEET-UG 2026 due to alleged paper leaks and a row over the CBSE's re-evaluation process have put the spotlight on Education Minister Pradhan, with the Congress and the opposition parties seeking his immediate resignation over the alleged lapses.