Echoes of the Cockroach Janta Party protest march reached Parliament on Monday, as opposition parties criticized the police action and called for debate on the NEET paper leak and education reforms. Mobile network jammers operated on the premises without prior notice to members.
Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi spoke to The Indian Express about the day’s events and his party’s view of the CJP protest. Excerpts follow.
Q. How does your party view the CJP after Monday’s events?
Rahul Gandhi has expressed solidarity with the CJP demand for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and reform of the education system. The police action against young protesters in Delhi was condemnable and could have been avoided if the prime minister had acted earlier instead of treating the matter as an issue of pride.
Q. Why has such mobilization occurred outside established political platforms?
It is not a matter of comparison. Congress youth programmes have drawn strong participation, yet many students prefer non-party platforms. The key point is that society, young people and opposition parties agree on the need for education reform. The BJP government alone appears unresponsive.
Q. MPs reported restricted movement and jammed mobile networks. What occurred?
Parliamentarians received no information about the network shutdown. Members noticed the loss of social media access only later, when reports of the scale of the police action emerged and security personnel moved rapidly inside the complex. No briefing was provided. Inside the house, government ministers responded to demands for discussion with apparent indifference.
Q. Were opposition parties divided during their meeting in Mallikarjun Kharge’s chamber?
The morning discussion reviewed recent business advisory and all-party meetings. Opposition parties remained united on major issues and sought to raise both student concerns and the Ram Mandir donation matter.
Q. What is expected in Parliament from Tuesday?
The opposition will continue pressing for discussion on NEET and will question why the prime minister retains confidence in the education minister despite the party’s record of replacing chief ministers ahead of elections. Continued government aloofness, Gogoi said, will only increase future political damage.
