Buoyed by the momentum of the nationwide agitation over the NEET paper leak, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Monday (August 3) announced it will launch a nationwide listening tour to engage with young people and understand their aspirations before charting the next phase of the movement.
As part of the exercise, the organisation will hold a two-day strategy meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on August 5 and 6. The meeting will bring together the party’s core leadership, including its founder, spokespersons and key organisers, to discuss the future direction of the youth movement.
Nationwide listening tour
According to a statement posted on X, the deliberations follow extensive consultations with a broad cross-section of stakeholders, including nearly 50 volunteers who played a crucial role in organising and sustaining the protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
“The defeat of this arrogant government at the hands of the youth shows that when young people come together, they can achieve anything,” CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said. “Our team is working to put together the best possible path forward to channel the expectations of our youth into meaningful action.”
The organisation said the nationwide listening tour would be formally unveiled after the strategy meeting, with the schedule and other details to be announced in the coming days.
Building on protest momentum
The announcement comes after weeks of sustained protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination process. From June to July, thousands of students and supporters gathered at Jantar Mantar to demand systemic reforms in the examination system, greater accountability, and action against those responsible for the paper leak controversy, including the resignation ofthen Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
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The movement drew nationwide attention after activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the protest site for a prolonged hunger strike and was later hospitalised, further amplifying public support for the campaign.
SC clarification boosts campaign
The CJP’s latest organisational push also follows Monday (August 3)’s clarification by the Supreme Court regarding its July 28 order on cases registered against student protesters.
The top court clarified that while those detained during the protests should be released immediately, the term “criminal antecedents” referred only to persons involved in grave and heinous offences. It also observed that state governments remain free, in accordance with law, to withdraw or close criminal cases registered against protesters.
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Following the clarification, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das urged the BJP-led Union government and NDA-ruled states to honour what he described as earlier assurances and withdraw FIRs against peaceful student demonstrators. He also demanded complete legal immunity for the protesters, arguing that merely closing cases would not provide adequate protection against future legal action.