‘Happy birthday, please resign’: Abhijeet Dipke’s wish to Dharmendra Pradhan comes with a gift | Watch

AS the resist demanding his surrender entered its 7th daytime on fri, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke marked Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's birthday with a pointed message at Jantar Mantar.In a video, Dipke is seen writing on a whiteboard, "Happy Birthday, Pradhan. Please resign," as supporters sing the birthday song in the background. After writing the message, Dipke said, “A very happy birthday to you, Dharmendra Pradhan. Do us a favour and resign. As a birthday gift, we can even send you the resignation letter—you’ll only have to put your thumb on it.”Dipke’s sit-in at Jantar MantarDipke has been leading protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, demanding Pradhan's resignation over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and the NEET paper leak controversy. The CJP founder has refused to leave the protest site, with the sit-in entering its seventh day.On day 5 of the protest, Dipke appeared before a committee of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) over the withholding of the group's X account. He argued that the authorities did not explain why the account was withheld and questioned why similar confidentiality was not maintained in the NEET paper leak case."Everything is confidential; you should have kept the NEET paper confidential as well. Why did that leak? These suicides would not have happened," he said.Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dipke said, "The PM cannot take a resignation but claims to have stopped the Russia-Ukraine war. Can he stop paper leaks?"Holding Pradhan responsible for student deaths, he added, "Who is responsible for the suicides? It is Dharmendra Pradhan."At least 17 students have reportedly died by suicide over the NEET paper leak issue.Dipke, who has repeatedly said the group is willing to hold talks with the government if Pradhan resigns, claimed no outreach has been made by the Centre."They are calling us terrorists instead," he said.“Are we asking for votes? We are asking for justice. We are taxpayers, our parents are taxpayers, and you call us terrorists. Are you not ashamed?”Sonam Wangchuk announces hunger strikeClimate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Thursday announced that he would begin an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar from June 28 if the government fails to respond to demands concerning the alleged NEET paper leak.In a video posted on X, Wangchuk said he would wait until June 27 for a response from the government and would launch the fast the following day if no satisfactory action was taken on the concerns raised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP).Wangchuk, who is currently in Geneva, released a video from the protest area outside the United Nations office at the Palais des Nations, describing it as a global equivalent of Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for peaceful demonstrations. Standing near the iconic Broken Chair monument, he said that accountability in education and environmental governance remains his key demands. “I am currently at Geneva city’s Jantar Mantar, that is, the area in front of the United Nations where full permission is given for demonstrations,” he said in a video posted to X.Urging the Centre to address the issue, he said, "If I do not receive a response on either of these issues by Saturday, I will sit on a hunger strike with all of you."Wangchuk has backed Dipke and the CJP's demand for Pradhan's resignation since the protests began. He appeared at the group's maiden protest on June 6 and many others since.