‘Is the Govt Waiting for Sonam Wangchuk to Die?’ Abhijeet Dipke

Sonam Wangchuk’s 20-day hunger strike over NEET reforms continues as Abhijeet Dipke slams the government’s silence.

CJP’s founder Abhijeet Dipke speaks to The Quint ahead of the parliament march on 20 July.

(Photo: The Quint)

Amid the ongoing protests demanding reforms to the NEET paper leak and the examination system, academician and innovator Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike continues for the 20th day. Meanwhile, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Dipke claimed that the government has yet to initiate any dialogue or negotiations. He described this as the government's "insensitive attitude."

No one from the government even came to inquire about my well-being. Such a prominent educationist and scientist has been on hunger strike for 20 days, but the government is not even talking to me.

Abhijeet Dipke

'First the government should talk'

When asked what his non-negotiable demands would be if the government calls for talks, Deepak said that at present the government is not coming forward for talks.

He said that the government should first start dialogue, only then the demands can be discussed.

'Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation will determine accountability'

The movement's main demands include the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Responding to questions about this, Deepak said that it's not just a question of changing people, but of establishing accountability.

He said that if any minister realises that political responsibility will be fixed for incidents like examination scams and student suicides, then serious efforts will be made to prevent such incidents in future.

On the question that has been continuously raised regarding the movement whether CJP will become a political party or contest elections in future, Deepak said that at present there is no such plan.

As of today, we have no such intention. But if someone forms a political party or contests elections, it should not be seen as a crime.

Abhijeet Dipke

Should Sonam Wangchuk become the Education Minister?

On July 16th, from the Cockroach Janata Party's Jantar Mantar platform, Aam Aadmi Party convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanded that the government appoint Sonam Wangchuk as Education Minister. Regarding this, The Quint asked Abhijeet Deepak whether the agitation would end if the government appointed Sonam Wangchuk as Education Minister instead of Dharmendra Pradhan. Deepak replied that he believed Wangchuk was qualified to be Education Minister because he had worked in the field of education all his life.

However, he also said that this is a hypothetical situation and he does not see any possibility that the government will do this.

He also added that even if the immediate demands of the movement are met, CJP will remain active on various issues of public concern.