Satirical Platform 'Cockroach Janta Party' Appoints Spokespersons Amid Examination Row

NEW DELHI: Days ahead of the proposed June 6 protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday appointed three spokespersons, marking the first step towards the potential evolution of the online satirical platform into a more structured political campaign, amid growing anger over examination controversies and its demand seeking education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. The three spokespersons are activist Vijeta Dahiya, former AAP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who recently shot to fame by attacking Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma for not recusing herself from hearing CBI’s challenge to Delhi HC’s order to discharge AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, his colleague Manish Sisodia and others in the Delhi liquor ‘scam’ case. Das is facing contempt. Addressing a press conference hours after CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced their appointment, the spokespersons said the formation of the outfit was driven by public anger over the controversies linked to NEET, CBSE, CUET and other examinations and dismissed the suggestion they were proxies of the governing BJP’s political opponents. Responding to queries about CJP’s alleged links with AAP, Ranka said, “Our past affiliations are not important. This fight is bigger than that. CJP is bigger than an individual or any organisation.” CJP said its initiative had the support of “8 lakh people” who signed an online petition demanding Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET-UG paper leak and CBSE’s OSM controversies. The press meet, the venue for which at the Constitution Club was booked by RJD MP member Manoj Jha, was a build-up for the protest that Boston-based Dipke had called for on June 6.