Leaders of India’s youth Cockroach Janta Party have been protesting for nearly two weeks, demanding the resignation of the education minister over question paper leaks for a national medical college entrance examination.
Protests and Hunger Strike
The protests in the capital Delhi come as sources say the government is weighing significant cabinet changes, with Indian media reporting Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan could be moved from his portfolio. About 100 supporters of the CJP have been gathering daily at the protest site in central Delhi.
A prominent critic of the government, Sonam Wangchuk, has started a hunger strike in support of the party’s demand. Wangchuk said he would undertake a fast that would last six weeks unless he died first.
Party’s Rapid Online Rise
The CJP describes itself as representing “the lazy, the unemployed, and the chronically correct”. Its rapid online rise reflects frustrations among young Indians, who are estimated to make up more than half the country’s 1.42 billion population. India’s unemployment rate was 3.1% in 2025 for people aged 15 and above, government data showed, but nearly 10% among those aged 15 to 29, rising to 13.6% in urban areas.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
