New Delhi: CJP leader Abhijith Deepke said the protest over the NEET irregularities would continue despite Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. He said the movement would press for ₹1 crore compensation to the families of students who died by suicide, action against police personnel accused of assaulting protesters during the July 20 Parliament march, and withdrawal of cases against students. Pradhan resigned ahead of scheduled talks between the Centre and CJP. The agitation, which began on June 20, intensified after Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike, arrest and hospitalisation, drawing massive public support and ultimately forcing the Centre to yield.
Meanwhile, on Monday, following the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, Abhijith Deepke said the movement owed its origins to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant's controversial "cockroaches" remark, asserting that he would never have returned to India or launched the agitation had the comment not been made.
Speaking to supporters and the media in New Delhi, Deepke traced the origins of the campaign that began as a social media movement and eventually culminated in the resignation of a Union minister after 35 days of sustained protests.
The controversy dates back to May 15, when Chief Justice Surya Kant, while hearing a case related to the designation of senior advocates in the Supreme Court, made remarks referring to a section of unemployed young lawyers as "cockroaches".