Youth won't be puppets, BJP chief says amid CJP protest
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Ranchi: BJP president Nitin Nabin on Saturday took aim at the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and those he said were trying to drag Indian youth into “negative politics,” asserting the country’s young people would not become puppets in others’ hands.
Speaking at an interaction with intellectuals in Ranchi, Nabin said today’s youth are focused on nation building and securing their futures, and rejected labels that cast them as anti establishment. Though he did not name CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke directly, he criticised activists “sitting abroad” for attempting to influence India’s young generation.
“To those who want to drag India's youth into negative politics, I want to warn them that the youth of this country will engage in positive politics,” he said, adding that no one can dictate their direction.
Nabin acknowledged the democratic right to protest but insisted dissent must remain within democratic norms. “We will oppose on the basis of democracy, but we will not allow democratic standards to be destroyed,” he said.
Highlighting the achievements of young Indians, he credited their drive for around 200,000 startups and reiterated the government’s ambition to make India a global IT hub. He also contrasted India’s political culture with anti government movements in neighbouring countries, saying such confrontational politics would not appeal to disciplined Indian youth.
The remarks came after the youth led Cockroach Janta Party staged its first on ground protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar earlier on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in exams including NEET, CBSE, CUET and SSC. Protesters, some wearing cockroach masks, carried placards and chanted slogans; the demonstration drew participation from school students, activists and some opposition leaders.
Several opposition parties extended support to the CJP protest, with AAP, Samajwadi Party, TMC, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Left groups expressing solidarity. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal urged the Centre to sack the education minister, while SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray praised the protesters. TMC MP Mahua Moitra also lauded the movement.
The Congress response was mixed: while some leaders highlighted their own youth led protests, others described the CJP action as performative and questioned AAP’s role behind the scenes.
CJP organisers said they will wait a week for the Centre to act on their demand for Pradhan’s removal, after which they will launch nationwide protests if their demand is not met.