What did the protest at Jantar Mantar achieve?

 By Justice Markandey Katju–

(Justice Markandey Katju is a former Judge, Supreme Court of India, and former Chairman of the Press Council of India. The views expressed are his own.)

The Cockroach Janta Party ( CJP ) protest which began on 19th June 2026 at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, ended on 25th July with the resignation of the Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and acceptance of 2 other demands of the CJP by the government, with great celebration and revelry by the protestors.

What has it achieved? Nothing, and yet something. Let me explain.

The entire agitation was focused on the demand for resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. Why? Because of paper leaks in the NEET examinations.

But why are there paper leaks? Because of corruption. Corruption is rampant in India, in almost every sphere, not just in NEET.

So paper leaks will continue as long as corruption continues in India. And corruption will continue in India, as the Anna Hazare anti-corruption movement of 2011 has proved. The movement started with great fanfare, and soon acquired a huge following in India, but later on fizzled out, with nothing achieved. In fact many believe that corruption is even more today, and at every level.

So resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan has only resulted in his replacement by another Education Minister, but it will have no effect in paper leaks, since corruption will continue in India.

So has the CJP protest achieved nothing ? I believe it has achieved something important.

Till now there were 2 narratives prevailing in India. 

The first was that India was progressing, with the fastest growing economy in the world and rise in GDP, and had already surpassed Japan and would soon surpass Germany, making the Indian economy the third largest in the world.

The second was that in fact the Indian economy was stagnant ( if not in recession ), with record and rising unemployment, skyrocketing prices of food and other essential commodities, appalling level of child malnutrition ( every second Indian child is malnourished, according to Global Hunger Index ), almost total lack of proper healthcare and good education for the masses, etc.

Many people were confused as to which narrative was correct.

The CJP movement has in a flash removed the confusion, and proved that the second narrative is correct. This became evident when within a few days of creation ( as a satire ) of the CJP its creator Abhijeet Dipke, a student of Boston University, got over 20 million followers.

The cause of this huge response to the CJP is the massive unemployment in India, which has reached a record level. 12 million youth are entering the job market in India every year, but less than half a million jobs are created annually in the organized sector of the Indian economy. So where do the remaining 11.5 million go ? If a single peon’s ( chaprasi ) job is advertised by the government there are usually thousands of applicants, some even with Ph.D. MBA, M.Sc, or engineering degrees.

The looming spectre of unemployment after they complete their education is in the minds of most Indian youth. This is the real cause of the huge numbers of supporters which the CJP movement has acquired so quickly.

But it is only an emotional response, and will not solve the unemployment problem, nor of paper leaks.

The government has announced that it is bringing a Bill in Parliament for imposing a sentence of upto 10 years imprisonment for those involved in paper leaks.

To my mind this will only give another handle to the police to extort money, as experience has shown.

Moreover, even if paper leaks are checked, it will only mean that meritorious students will get admission instead of non meritorious ones. But it will not increase the number of available jobs in the country.

Jobs can be increased and unemployment largely abolished when the economy is rapidly expanding. But this rapid expansion of the economy is not possible within the present system prevailing in India. 

It can only take place after a revolution, following a protracted people’s struggle ( jan sangharsh ), rising above caste and religion, led by modern minded leaders, in which tremendous sacrifices will have to be made, and thereafter creating a political and social order under which there is rapid industrialization, and steady rise in the standard of living of the people. 

How to launch such a people’s struggle which will culminate in a historical people’s revolution, is what our patriotic youth should think of, instead of just shouting and screaming at Jantar Mantar.