NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday dismissed Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s announcement on fast-track courts for paper leak cases, saying it had taken the Prime Minister 34 days to publicly acknowledge the agitation.He accused the Centre of continuing to protect Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan despite weeks of protests.Addressing supporters at Jantar Mantar, where the CJP’s sit-in entered its 34th day, Dipke said the Prime Minister’s first public response had come too late.“For the first time today, the Prime Minister noticed our protest and posted about it. It’s not as if the government didn’t know about it. It is definitely nervous,” Dipke said.“It has been 34 days since our protest started. The country’s Prime Minister took 34 days to post about it. He didn’t say anything when more than 20 students died by suicide. He didn’t say anything when Sonam Wangchuk, risking his life, started his hunger strike, and today is the 26th day of that strike. This is not something to clap about. A person has been hungry for 26 days for all of you. This government should be ashamed that even after all this, it is still trying to save Dharmendra Pradhan. What’s so special about Dharmendra Pradhan?” he added.Dipke’s remarks came hours after Prime Minister Modi announced that the Centre would set up fast-track courts to ensure “swift and stringent punishment” for those involved in examination paper leaks.In a post on X, the Prime Minister said those responsible for compromising students’ futures “will not be spared” and directed authorities to take all necessary steps to safeguard students’ interests.The announcement drew sharp political reactions, with LoP Rahul Gandhi accusing the government of destroying the country’s education system and reiterating the Opposition’s demand for Pradhan’s resignation.Earlier in the day, the Centre also renewed its appeal for talks with the protesters. Union minister Jitendra Singh said the government had sent four formal proposals for discussions since last afternoon and remained ready to hold talks “at any time” with CJP representatives.The CJP, however, has maintained that its demands remain unchanged. The organisation continues to seek the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, accountability over the alleged NEET paper leak, reforms in the examination system and the withdrawal of cases filed against peaceful protesters.
