Garlanded rape convicts: Dipke hits out at new education minister
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New Delhi: The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has launched a fierce attack on the Union government's decision to appoint Prahlad Joshi as the new Education Minister, with founder Abhijeet Dipke arguing that replacing Dharmendra Pradhan with Joshi does not address the concerns that fuelled the nationwide student agitation.
Dipke said appointing Joshi to head the Education Ministry sends the wrong message, citing his public support for the remission granted to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case in 2022. He argued that entrusting the education portfolio to a leader associated with such a controversial stand raises serious concerns, particularly for young women and schoolgirls. The remission of the 11 convicts had triggered nationwide outrage before the Supreme Court later quashed it and ordered their return to prison.
Dipke also accused the Centre of failing to provide ₹1 crore in compensation to the families of students who died by suicide following the NEET-UG paper leak controversy. He alleged that the government had yet to fulfil key assurances made after the protests and warned that the group would resume its agitation if its demands remained unmet.
He further rejected comparisons between the Jantar Mantar student protests and popular uprisings in Bangladesh and Nepal, arguing that such parallels were intended to discredit the group. His remarks came after Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin said visuals of the protest reminded her of Bangladesh's 2024 student movement.
Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Education Minister on July 25 following prolonged protests, but Prahlad Joshi's appointment has now triggered a fresh political confrontation.