Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra joined the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar on Friday, voicing support for activist Sonam Wangchuk, who along with several other student activists has been on an indefinite hunger strike demanding accountability from the Union Government and seeking Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged failures in the education sector.
Addressing demonstrators at the protest site, Moitra launched a sharp attack on the Centre, accusing it of being detached from the concerns of ordinary citizens. "These shameless people are drunk on the high of power. They can't see what's happening around them," she said.
She also took aim at Pradhan over his birthday celebrations, drawing a contrast with the ongoing student-led agitation. "His birthday cake can't be iced with the blood of our children. They will try to label you, call you names, try to dissuade you, but, let them label you. Always remember your only label is that you are a 'Hindustani'. Don't give up. Stay true to the cause. Jai Hind,” added the Trinamool Congress MP.
Her remarks appeared to reference the continued protests demanding the Education Minister's resignation over alleged examination irregularities and paper leaks. They also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi who wished Dharmendra Pradhan on his birthday on June 26, however, hasn’t yet issued a public statement over the CJP’ protest at Jantar Mantar, or the series of alleged examination lapses in the recent times.
The Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke thanked Mahua Moitra for her presence at the protest site. “A big thank you to the fearless and fierce @MahuaMoitra ma’am for joining our protest today and charging up the crowd with her powerful words. Your presence lifted the spirits of the youth who have been protesting relentlessly for the past 14 days,” the founder wrote taking to social media platform “X”.
Mahua Moitra’s remarks also come in the wake of Dharmendra Pradhan's reported description of the protesters as the "B team of terrorists" during an event. Responding to those remarks, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke rejected the characterisation of the protesters and accused the minister of ignoring the concerns of students. "Dharmendra Pradhan calls us terrorists. But the irony is that he has the blood of more than 17 students on his hands." He added, "Sir, we are not terrorists. We don't need a certificate of patriotism from people like you who are responsible for the deaths of innocent students."
The protest movement has steadily gathered support from political leaders, activists and members of the film fraternity. On 1 July, TMC MP Sagarika Ghose joined the demonstration at Jantar Mantar and criticised the Union government for what she described as its refusal to respond to public concerns. In a post on X, Ghose wrote, "The arrogant failed @narendramodi government is STILL refusing to listen to the people and has lost all public legitimacy."
While most Opposition parties have stopped short of formally backing the Cockroach Janta Party, several prominent leaders have expressed solidarity with the movement, including Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray.
The campaign has also found support among members of the film industry. Actors Prakash Raj and Atul Kulkarni have publicly backed the protests against alleged irregularities in India's education and examination system. Sharing a message for the young demonstrators, Kulkarni said, "May you reshape this country with integrity and compassion. My heartfelt good wishes to you all."
The protest has now continued for more than two weeks, drawing students, activists and political leaders from across the country. Wangchuk has maintained that he will continue his hunger strike until concrete action is taken on his demands for accountability in the education sector. As of Friday, the Union government had not issued an official response to Wangchuk's ongoing hunger strike.
