‘Rancho’ Sonam Wangchuk to join Cockroach Janta Party’s ‘peaceful’ protest on June 6

Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk said on Tuesday that he will join the peaceful’ protest to be held by the members of the satirical online party, the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ (CJP), on June 6, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over recent controversies around the CBSE and NEET exams.

The cancellation and the subsequent rescheduling of the NEET-UG 2026 due to alleged paper leaks and a row over the CBSE's re-evaluation process have put the spotlight on Education Minister Pradhan, with the Congress and the opposition parties seeking his immediate resignation over the alleged lapses.

Wangchuk reaffirms support to CJP

In a post on X, Wangchuk, who considers himself an "honorary cockroach," said, “IF NOT US, WHO? IF NOT NOW, WHEN!”

“I will be joining the CJP members in Delhi on 6th June if nothing changes by 5th June. Any self-respecting Minister should resign if things go so wrong... Not to mention the effect on millions of young lives and in fact the future of India,” Wangchuk posted on X on Tuesday.

The environmentalist and educationist had earlier voiced support for the online "cockroach" movement, describing himself as an "honorary cockroach", as he urged the government to engage with the concerns being raised by youngsters rather than suppressing their digital expression.

Thanking Sonam Wangchuk for expressing his desire to join the June 6 protest, Dipke wrote on X, “Sonam Wangchuk joins the Cockroach Movement! Thank you, sir, for joining the movement. It is a great honour for all of us cockroaches! Looking forward to meet you on June 6. Jai Hind🫡”

In another post, he wrote, "Cockroaches, Rancho will join the peaceful protest on June 6. Will you be there?"

CJP's protest on June 6

‘Cockroach Janta Party’ founder Abhijeet Dipke, who lives in the US, announced on June 1 that he will return to India “to demand the resignation of the Education Minister.”

“On June 6, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet will lead a protest at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi," posted the Cockroach Janta Party, which is not a real political party but a satirical movement launched earlier in May.

Claiming that an online petition seeking the education minister's resignation had garnered 8 lakh signatures, Dipke said protests over education-related issues were being held in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

Calling on the youth to join the protest on June 6, he said, “I request the youth of India to join this peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar and exercise our constitutional right to seek accountability from the government.”

About Cockroach Janta Party

Launched in May as a joke in response to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant's 'youngsters like cockroaches' remarks, the 'Cockroach Janta Party' became a social media movement in no time. Many public figures also subscribed to it.

The online campaign, which uses satire and the imagery of a cockroach as a symbol of resilience and dissent, drew attention in recent days amid claims by its founders of a crackdown on their social-media presence, including account suspensions and hacking allegations.

The movement has framed itself around issues, such as unemployment, exam paper leaks and public accountability.

Dipke rejected allegations that the campaign enjoys substantial foreign backing. In posts on X, he shared audience analytics of the group's social media handles, claiming that over 94 per cent of its audience was from India and dismissed allegations of Pakistani or foreigners dominating its followership.