‘Cockroach party’ says Modi government broke India protest promise
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Any perception that the authorities are reneging on concessions could renew protests over education and job prospects.
PHOTO: AFP
- The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) accused the Modi government of breaking its promise by continuing legal action against student protesters despite an agreement to withdraw cases.
- CJP will remain a pressure group focused on youth issues like education reform and job creation, avoiding electoral politics while pushing for government accountability.
- The group plans a nationwide campaign funded by public donations, aiming to gather public grievances and maintain political independence outside traditional party politics.
AI generated
NEW DELHI – The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which spearheaded India’s biggest student protests in recent years, accused the authorities of violating an agreement by pursuing participants and reiterated it will remain a pressure group rather than enter electoral politics.
The police are continuing to investigate cases against some students who took part in the New Delhi protests in July despite a government agreement to withdraw legal action, CJP spokesman Ashutosh Ranka told Bloomberg Television’s Menaka Doshi.
The group had called off the protests after the agreement was reached.
“There were clear instances where this agreement was reneged on,” Ranka said on Aug 10, citing cases that remained active in several states and the detention of protesters.
“That is a clear sort of breaking away from the promise made by the government. Our team has been on top of it. We have been very clear that none of the protesters being arrested will be tolerated.”
India’s Home Affairs Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The stand-off tests whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government can resolve tensions with a youth group that has mobilised students outside traditional party politics. Any perception that the authorities are reneging on concessions could renew protests over education and job prospects.
CJP has threatened fresh protests if the government breaks its promises, though Ranka did not say how the group would respond.
The 30-year-old is a former McKinsey & Co management consultant who emerged as one of the prominent faces of India’s youth-led movement. An engineering graduate of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Ranka later earned a master’s degree in public administration from the London School of Economics.
The police are investigating several cases against protesters, including some related to social media posts that allegedly mocked Modi.
The Supreme Court has said states may withdraw cases against student demonstrators, except those involving serious offences, a position also backed by the government.
“We sincerely hope the government will follow the promise,” said Ranka. “If the senior Cabinet minister’s verbal agreement has no value in the country, then essentially what we are saying is that the government can’t be trusted. I am sure the Indian government doesn’t want that.”
His comments come as student-led protests continue in the eastern state of Jharkhand, where Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is the main opposition party, over alleged exam irregularities.
Ranka said CJP would raise questions over issues related to youth irrespective of the political parties at the helm.
“We are not standing with or against a political party. We are standing with the youth of this country,” he said.
Last week, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said it will not become a political party, opting instead to remain a “pressure group”. It plans to push for education reform, job creation and greater accountability from public institutions while staying out of electoral politics.
CJP, which began as a satirical movement a few months ago, will travel across India to gather ideas for reform directly from the public to ensure that “the genuine grievances of the common people are brought to the mainstream”.
Ranka said: “Pressure groups like us, political movements like us, are very much part of democracy because we can stay out of regular politics and force the government to address the burning issues of this country.”
CJP plans to rely primarily on donations from the public to fund its nationwide campaign, a strategy Ranka said would help preserve the group’s political independence. BLOOMBERG
