India’s education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned, following weeks of public pressure led by the Cockroach movement. The youth-led protest has mounted a formidable challenge to PM Narendra Modi’s government.
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For weeks, protesters in India have been mounting a considerable challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The demonstrators, mostly youth-led, were also calling for the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, over allegations of leaking exam papers. On Saturday, the country’s former education minister caved to public pressure and resigned.
Image: Debajyoti Chakraborty/Pacific Press Agency/IMAGO
In a letter posted on X, Pradhan announced that he would resign to prevent what he claimed were “anti-national forces” from taking advantage of the situation at Jantar Mantar, India’s most famous protest site, and across the country. The youth-led Cockroach movement has called his resignation a victory for democracy.
Image: ANI Photo
The prominent protester Sonam Wangchuk, who was recently hospitalized following a weeks-long hunger strike, called Pradhan’s resignation a “victory of direct democracy (…) straight from the streets.” Wangchuk had begun an “indefinite” fast in June in support of the youth-led protest movement.
Image: Ishant Chauhan/Hindustan Times/Sipa USA/picture alliance
The protests kicked off by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spread nationwide. Not all of them remained peaceful. On Monday, CJP supporters clashed with police as they attempted to march toward the parliament. At least 178 people were injured, including security personnel, as police used tear gas and batons to prevent them from breaching security barricades.
Image: Adnan Abidi/REUTERS
The Cockroach movement started as a satirical group in May, in response to a comment by a Supreme Court judge that likened India’s unemployed youth to cockroaches. The movement has gathered millions of young Indians, many frustrated with high unemployment and low government accountability, and has put up a sizeable challenge to Narendra Modi’s administration.
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