A video shows CJP leaders dancing after their protest ended, sparking social media debate
NEW DELHI: A video purportedly showing top Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders dancing and celebrating at a hotel after calling off their 36-day agitation following Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan‘s resignation has triggered a sharp response from the BJP and social media users.BJP Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Jethmalani criticised the celebrations, questioning the CJP leadership for allegedly throwing a party after days of protests and violence in Delhi.Senior advocate and former Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Jethmalani, who questioned the funding behind the month-long agitation.“Seriously? The CJP leadership throwing a victory party at a hotel! After Delhi witnessed days of violence, these so-called youth activists switched on the music and began dancing.More serious questions:Who funded the travel, food, accommodation, equipment and logistics throughout this agitation?Who financed the people who kept Delhi on the boil?” Jethmalani posted on X.BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya also shared the video on X, saying everyone deserved to celebrate after hard work but questioning the timing of the gathering.“When a movement is presented as a fight for justice for students, including those whose deaths by suicide are invoked as its moral foundation, scenes of dancing and what appears to be a celebratory party immediately afterwards strike a jarring contrast,” he wrote.Malviya further alleged that many students who had joined the protest in good faith could now feel they had been misled, adding that the youth of the country deserved “sincerity, not spectacle.”The viral video, which surfaced a day after the CJP withdrew its protest following Pradhan’s resignation, shows CJP leaders, including chief spokesperson Saurav Das, national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka, Arpit Sharma and other members of the organisation, dancing and celebrating together.The visuals drew mixed reactions online. While some supporters described the gathering as a celebration after what they called a hard-fought campaign, others questioned whether the festivities were appropriate given that the movement had repeatedly highlighted the struggles of students and families affected by the alleged examination irregularities.The video also prompted a political reaction, with several social media users questioning whether the celebrations were insensitive given that the agitation had centred on students and the alleged NEET paper leak.Responding to the criticism, CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das defended the celebrations, saying critics had failed to understand how younger generations organise and protest.“It just goes to show that the government and godi anchors simply do not understand the language of Gen Z and younger generations,” Das wrote on X.
Saurav Das reacts
“We can sit on the road for as long as it takes. We can protest while dancing. We can organise while sipping cold coffee. We can fight for change without looking the way previous generations think a movement should look,” he said.Describing the current generation as “confident, creative, resilient, and impossible to stereotype,” Das added, “The uncles and aunties can keep complaining. They’ll just have to deal with us.”The controversy comes days after the CJP ended its agitation following a third round of talks with the Centre.The organisation announced that it was withdrawing the protest “in good faith” after Pradhan’s resignation and assurances from the government regarding the implementation of its remaining demands.Since then, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has said the organisation will soon announce its future course of action. He added that it would continue to pursue issues such as cases filed against student protesters and the alleged paper leak in Punjab.
