Prakash Raj joins CJP Protest in Bengaluru

ACtor Prakash Raj and breeding meliorist Sonam Wangchuk united a dissent in Bengaluru on lord's day against alleged irregularities in India’s education and examination system, with both lending support to a campaign led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a citizens’ collective seeking changes to recruitment and competitive examinations.The demonstration at Freedom Park brought together students, activists and supporters of the campaign, despite the downpour. The gathering sought judicial intervention over examination related issues.Addressing the gathering, Raj questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence over repeated allegations of examination paper leaks.“Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most educated. He has studied entire political science and has seen how politics works, how teachers function, and how papers get leaked. Then why are you silent, educated Prime Minister?” Raj said.Raj also said he would like to see Wangchuk leading the country’s Education Ministry, describing him as someone who had devoted himself to rethinking education.“I had a dream and a wish. I wish Sonam Wangchuk was our education minister. I want to thank Sonam Wangchuk. Who else will support a student’s movement if not a man who had a vision for education,” he said.The remarks drew slogans from supporters calling for Wangchuk to become education minister. Wangchuk, however, distanced himself from the suggestion, saying the office should instead be occupied by someone who embodied the same principles.“The Minister should be like him, not him,” Wangchuk said, making clear that he did not see himself in the role. He said he had travelled to Bengaluru to support the campaign against what he described as a “rotten” education system.Recalling an earlier visit to the city, Wangchuk said he was pleased to return to Freedom Park, where people had previously gathered in support of Ladakh. Speaking about Raj, he said, “I am happy to be with Prakash Raj here. He had come to visit me in Ladakh. I didn’t know him that well. I just knew he is a good actor, but then someone said he is a good villain.”Wangchuk later widened his remarks beyond education, arguing that the country’s difficulties extended beyond economic measures. “India is not just a fiscal deficit anymore, but trust deficit,” he said.He also spoke about fear among citizens, saying, “If people have to live in fear, they might as well have been born in China. At least the trains would have been faster.”The organisation, led by Abhijeet Dipke, says it adopted the name Cockroach Janata Party after members were referred to as “cockroaches” during court proceedings connected to one of its petitions. The event also featured Dipke, whose organisation has built a campaign around alleged examination irregularities.CJP spokesperson Saurav Dass said the movement began with a single social media post before growing into a nationwide campaign. “It started with a single tweet by Abhijeet Dipke, which led to this movement. We are challenging everyone, including the Supreme Court and the CJI who called us ‘cockroach’,” Dass said.