CJP Ends 5-Week Protest After Minister Quits, Exposing Modi to Rare Youth Backlash
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jul 25
CJP Ends 5-Week Protest After Minister Quits, Exposing Modi to Rare Youth Backlash
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jul 25
Summary
Thousands kept celebrating at Delhi's Jantar Mantar hours after the Cockroach Janta Party called off its five-week protest following Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
Pradhan said on X he quit to respect young people's aspirations and prevent the crisis from deepening, conceding a key demand of a movement driven by anger over exam paper leaks and education failures.
Monday's police crackdown accelerated pressure on the government: dozens were injured, about 300 people were taken to hospital and around 70 protesters were arrested, though most were later released on bail.
Abhijeet Dipke's satirical, AI-mascot campaign grew into a national platform with 26 million Instagram followers, amplified by Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike and support from opposition parties, activists and celebrities.
For Narendra Modi, the climbdown is a rare setback after 12 years in power, echoing the 2021 farm-law reversal and underscoring broader middle-class frustration over jobs, education and dissent.