Dharmendra Pradhan quits: Inside Jantar Mantar's Saturday of celebration – 'We have done it'
As the afternoon sun beat down on Saturday, streams of people made their way to Jantar Mantar from Raisina Road, Sansad Marg, Tolstoy Road, Ashoka Road and Rafi Marg, walking past hundreds of police personnel and barricades towards what would be the movement's biggest announcement yet.
It was Saturday, June 6, when Abhijeet Dipke, the 30-year-old founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), led the first protest march at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET-UG paper leaks.
A little over a month later, Dipke returned to the same venue to announce that Pradhan had resigned on another Saturday. A few hours later, CJP announced that it is ending the protest after Union government accepted all its demands
“We have done it, Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned,” Dipke told a crowd of several thousands on the afternoon of 25 July.
“Kya kehte the, is sarkar mein istefe nahi hota…(They would say no one would quit in this government)" Dipke said as the supporters broke into jubilation
Jantar Mantar was unusually packed on Saturday, perhaps because of weekend. The crowd was much more that June 6, the first Saturday of the agitation.
As the afternoon sun beat down in 25 July, streams of people walked towards Jantar Mantar from every direction. Be it Raisina Road, Sansad Marg, Tolstoy Road, Ashoka Road or Rafi Marg, groups of protesters made their way past hundreds of police personnel and barricades to reach the iconic protest site.
Quick answers to key questions
Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following intense protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over controversies related to the NEET-UG examination, including allegations of paper leaks.
The CJP demanded Pradhan's resignation because they held him accountable for the irregularities and controversies surrounding the NEET-UG examination, which led to significant distress among students, including suicides.
The protests at Jantar Mantar, which began in early June, grew into a massive movement that pressured the government, ultimately leading to Pradhan’s resignation as he faced escalating protests and demands for accountability.
Following Pradhan's resignation, the CJP indicated that their protests would continue until their other demands, including financial compensation for affected families and no action against student protesters, were addressed.
Many supporters of the CJP argue that accountability should extend beyond Pradhan to include other officials responsible for overseeing the NEET examination process and addressing the systemic issues that led to the controversy.
At around 2 pm, long queues formed at the entry point near Kerala House as people waited to enter the Jantar Mantar compound. Volunteers struggled to manage the swelling crowds, repeatedly urging people to move forward in single file as more demonstrators continued to pour in.
Inside, the venue buzzed with slogans, placards and patriotic songs blaring from loudspeakers, creating a charged atmosphere as thousands of protesters gathered. .
From Manto to Jalib – ‘main nahi manta’
One of the hundreds of protests had a famous Saadat Hassan Manto line in Hindi which read – Qeemat jo bhi ho, aadmi agar bik jaaye to, kodun ka bhi nahi rehta' which can be loosely translated to “whatever the price may be, once a man sells himself, he loses all his worth.”
Another poster hanging nearby had lines from Pakistani Poet Habib Jalib's poem 'Dastoor' – 'Is khule jhoot hom zehan ki loot ko, main nahi manta, main nahi jaanta…" These famous lines by revolutionary poet can be translated in English as "This bare-faced lie, this insult to our mind, I refuse to acknowledge, I refuse to accept".
At few minutes to 2.30 PM, Dipke made the most inportant annoucement on the microphone. The supporters broke into victory celebrations.
“This is just the begining. Our two demands remain. ₹1 Crore to the families of those NEET aspirants who died by suicide. And no police action against the protesters of July 20 March,” Dipke said.
As the protest site erupted in celebration, hundreds of supporters spilled out onto the road outside the exit gate. The crowd stretched all the way to Patel Chowk Metro station, with people lining the route. Some sat down to share meals, while others raised slogans and sang patriotic songs, turning the area into a festival-like gathering.
The Melody celebration
One of them distributed Melody candies. The 'Melody" viral internet phenomenon refers to Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifting a packet of the iconic Indian candy Melody to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently.
“This is history in the making. A few days ago the same government was greeting is with lathis and teargasses. Even pellets were used against us. And today, the minister has quit. This is a victory. This shows you cannot take people forgranted. This shows that the government should fear its people,” said a protester who was leaving the venue.
From June 6 to July 25 — what happened?
Dipke returned to India after completing a master's degree in Boston, United States. What began as a satirical ‘cockroach’ quip in response to a remark by the Chief Justice of India soon evolved into a massive online movement demanding accountability from the government.
On June 6, the CJP held its first protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. As the movement gathered momentum, the protests spread to cities across the country, with one central demand: Pradhan resignation of over the NEET paper leak controversy.
The protest returned to Jantar Mantar on June 20, with the CJP deciding to continue its sit-in despite the lack of official permission. Backed by several Opposition leaders, the movement gained further momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk began a hunger strike on June 28 before being taken to hospital by police. On July 20, the agitation reached a flashpoint as clashes erupted across Delhi during the CJP's march to Parliament.
By mid July, the government started reaching out to the CJP. On July 20, CJP representatives met Union Minister JP Nadda. CJP insisted Pradhan should resign. Government reached out again. This time CJP insisted a neautral venue. The last meeting was held at Constitution Club on 24 July.
On 25 July, facing spiralling protests for his ouster, Pradhan finally resigned. The Minister said in a letter in Hindi that it is not a matter of "individual prestige" for him and he wanted to prevent anti-national forces from exploiting the situation at Jantar Mantar and across the country.
Protest ends
By evening, the CJP called off its protest ‘with immediate effect’ and asked supporters at Jantar Mantar to return home. The announcement came in a joint government-CJP press conference this evening, following the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister. His resignation was the CJP's core demand over the NEET paper leak.
CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, flanked by Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh at the press conference, told reporters the CJP ended the protest in "good faith" that the government would keep its word on the demands.
“Next should be an andolan against (Nitin) Gadkari over E20 petrol.” a protester quipped.
About the Author
Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.
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