Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder, Abhijeet Dipke has urged supporters to bring a ‘thali’ (plate) and a 'chamach' (spoon) while attending the scheduled protest at Delhi Jantar Mantar on Saturday, 20 June.
"All the cockroaches joining tomorrow's protest at Jantar Mantar should carry a thali and a chamach with you. You know the rest of the story," Dipke said in a video shared by CJP on social media handles.
The youth-led movement said it had secured Delhi Police's permission for its June 20 protest at Jantar Mantar seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak controversy and examination-related issues. The protest is scheduled at 1 pm.
Why Thali and Chamach?
The phrase ‘Thali’ and ‘Chamach’ refers to the famous nationwide ‘Thali Bajao’ (banging plates and spoons) initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during COVID-19 on 22 March, 2020.
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a "Janata Curfew" and requested citizens to step out onto their balconies and bang plates (thalis) with spoons (chamachs) for 5-10 minutes
The nationwide exercise was designed as a show of collective gratitude towards doctors, medical staff, police officers, and essential workers risking their lives on the frontline.
Dipke had earlier warned of an indefinite sit-in if the movement's demands were not met. However, the organisation did not comment on the proposed indefinite protest in its latest statement announcing police clearance for the June 20 demonstration.
CJP has emerged as a youth-led online movement that has campaigned on issues such as examination irregularities, unemployment and recruitment delays. The group gained prominence through social media campaigns and has since organised protests and outreach programmes in several parts of the country.
The CJP's first protest at Jantar Mantar saw thousands of people in attendance on 6 June. Similar protests were later held in other states, such as Lucknow, Pune, Bengaluru, Amritsar, and Nagpur, seeking Pradhan's resignation.
All the cockroaches joining tomorrow's protest at Jantar Mantar should carry a thali and a chamach with you.
The CJP has focused its campaign on alleged shortcomings in the education and examination system, particularly controversies surrounding competitive examinations such as NEET, and has been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
