India’s cockroach movement leaders to meet senior federal minister

NEW DELHI: Two representatives of India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement are set to hold discussions with a senior minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, following weeks of growing agitation over nationwide examination paper leaks and youth unemployment.

The outreach was confirmed by CJP spokesperson Saurav Das in a statement on social media platform X on Monday, coming amid heightened tension in the capital on the opening day of parliament’s monsoon session.

Das stated that federal authorities had initiated contact earlier in the day to arrange the meeting, marking one of the first direct efforts by the administration to engage with the movement.

“The government had reached out for talks in the morning,” Das said in his post.

The move follows clashes between police personnel and demonstrators after hundreds of protesters attempted to march toward Parliament despite a police ban, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Escalating movement and demands

The youth-based CJP movement initially formed as a satirical response to official remarks about unemployed youth has rapidly expanded its base across the country. Tensions escalated further after police forcibly moved hunger-striking climate activist Sonam Wangchuk from the Jantar Mantar protest site to a hospital over the weekend.

Highlighting the scale of mobilisation, Das emphasised that the group’s stance remains firm despite government overtures. “Our demands are clear. The youth has gathered in huge numbers,” he added.