'I've been down with a fever': CJP's Abhijeet Dipke misses Jantar Mantar protest

New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday said he would not be present at Delhi's Jantar Mantar protest during the day after falling ill with fever and severe body pain, even as the party reiterated its demand for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation and dismissed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on action against paper leaks as inadequate.

In a post on X, Dipke said he had been unwell for the past few days but had continued participating in the agitation despite his condition.

“I’ve been down with a fever and severe body pain for the last few days, but I’ve been pushing through with painkillers. My apologies if you don’t see me at Jantar Mantar today. I need to get a few hours of rest and recover. Will be back at the protest site by evening,” wrote Abhijeet Dipke on X.

Dipke's health update came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a series of measures to tackle paper leaks, including the setting up of fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved. In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, "nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth."

Reacting to the announcement, Dipke shared an image of Dharmendra Pradhan carrying the caption, "Hi, my name is nothing," while the CJP posted, "Dharmendra Pradhan Must Resign."

CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka welcomed the Prime Minister's response but argued that it failed to address the root cause of repeated paper leaks.

"The first thing is that it is good that after one-and-a-half months of protests, the prime minister has finally taken notice. Perhaps his foreign visits are over and he has returned to India, which is a good thing."

"But what punishment are you imposing after the paper leak has already taken place? That is not going to solve the problem of paper leaks. The real question is why paper leaks are happening in the first place. That question must be answered."

"Applying ointment after an injury is one thing, but the real fight is about preventing the injury from happening in the first place. The injury keeps happening because the people running the system are neither accountable nor competent. Therefore, these measures are not sufficient by any means."

Ranka reiterated that the protest would continue until Pradhan stepped down.

"We will not leave this place until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns."

He also claimed that public anger over the issue was increasingly being directed at Prime Minister Modi.

"...A large number of people are here with passion and determination, and everyone is demanding his resignation. But as the days pass, the issue is no longer confined to Dharmendra Pradhan."

"The focus is now shifting towards the prime minister. If you listen to the slogans here, you will find that people's anger is increasingly being directed at him over why he is not listening to them. The government should understand this because people have now started asking questions directly to the Prime Minister."

The CJP-led agitation, which began on June 20, is demanding accountability over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, reforms in the education system, and the resignation of the Union Education Minister.

Meanwhile, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who joined the protest on June 28 and has been on an indefinite hunger strike since then, has offered to end his fast if the Centre assures that no punitive action or FIRs will be initiated against peaceful protesters who participated in the movement.