Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Days after the Cockroach Janta Party called off its sit-in at Jantar Mantar with Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and assurances from the Narendra Modi government, questions remain about what those assurances are worth.
In this live conversation, Newslaundry’s Manisha Pande speaks to CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who had told supporters at Jantar Mantar that this was not the end. They talk about the road ahead considering the big questions.
The biggest of them all is the police crackdown. The CJP has flagged arrests and detentions of protesters in several states, demanding the immediate release of detainees and the withdrawal of all FIRs, and has warned it will return to the streets if the government doesn't honour the no-action assurance. There is heavy police deployment at Jantar Mantar.
The Modi government has announced several steps to improve exams. From the new law against paper leaks to NTA overhaul, are these adequate fixes to a broken system?
The Supreme Court restrained authorities from coercive action against student protesters with no “criminal antecedents” and ordered the release of detained minors, but it allowed the police to continue investigating the FIRs already registered. The CJP says police actions contradict what it was promised at the negotiating table.
Can CJP pull the crowds a second time?
Watch live and drop your questions in the chat.
00:00 Introduction
02:09 When nobody knew if the protest would succeed
04:31 How AR Rahman and Swades kept the movement going
07:28 From a disabled Instagram page to a minister’s resignation
11:02 The turning points that changed the protest
13:28 How Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike awakened the country
15:19 Untold story of how cockroaches came back after police lathi
25:24 Was CJP really a leaderless movement?
28:10 Why Abhijit Dipke stopped the march to Parliament
31:01 The Delhi Police: Support from below, pressure from above
32:39 The mysterious truck filled with stones
33:55 Which political parties supported CJP?
44:58 Why the anger went far beyond education
47:01 ‘The biggest victory wasn’t the resignation’
47:33 What issue will CJP take up next?
48:19 CJP’s future as a political pressure group
49:48 Education, privatisation, reservation and E20
52:34 Is CJP left-wing, right-wing or centrist?
54:15 The people and moments Abhijit remembers most
58:30 The danger of turning leaders into messiahs
01:01:01 Can CJP survive beyond its viral moment?
01:02:12 Criticism over journalists being heckled
01:03:03 Can Abhijit afford to run CJP full-time?
01:03:44 Kejriwal, AAP and allegations of political backing
01:05:20 The support Abhijit received from Uddhav Thackeray
01:06:29 Is CJP fighting Rahul Gandhi and Congress?
01:08:53 Will Abhijit Dipke join politics?
01:09:41 BJP, abusive language and FIRs against protesters
01:11:04 How will CJP fund itself?
01:12:48 Was this a Gen Z movement or a millennial movement?
01:14:42 Why independent media matters
Days after the Cockroach Janta Party called off its sit-in at Jantar Mantar with Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and assurances from the Narendra Modi government, questions remain about what those assurances are worth.
In this live conversation, Newslaundry’s Manisha Pande speaks to CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who had told supporters at Jantar Mantar that this was not the end. They talk about the road ahead considering the big questions.
The biggest of them all is the police crackdown. The CJP has flagged arrests and detentions of protesters in several states, demanding the immediate release of detainees and the withdrawal of all FIRs, and has warned it will return to the streets if the government doesn't honour the no-action assurance. There is heavy police deployment at Jantar Mantar.
The Modi government has announced several steps to improve exams. From the new law against paper leaks to NTA overhaul, are these adequate fixes to a broken system?
The Supreme Court restrained authorities from coercive action against student protesters with no “criminal antecedents” and ordered the release of detained minors, but it allowed the police to continue investigating the FIRs already registered. The CJP says police actions contradict what it was promised at the negotiating table.
Can CJP pull the crowds a second time?
Watch live and drop your questions in the chat.
00:00 Introduction
02:09 When nobody knew if the protest would succeed
04:31 How AR Rahman and Swades kept the movement going
07:28 From a disabled Instagram page to a minister’s resignation
11:02 The turning points that changed the protest
13:28 How Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike awakened the country
15:19 Untold story of how cockroaches came back after police lathi
25:24 Was CJP really a leaderless movement?
28:10 Why Abhijit Dipke stopped the march to Parliament
31:01 The Delhi Police: Support from below, pressure from above
32:39 The mysterious truck filled with stones
33:55 Which political parties supported CJP?
44:58 Why the anger went far beyond education
47:01 ‘The biggest victory wasn’t the resignation’
47:33 What issue will CJP take up next?
48:19 CJP’s future as a political pressure group
49:48 Education, privatisation, reservation and E20
52:34 Is CJP left-wing, right-wing or centrist?
54:15 The people and moments Abhijit remembers most
58:30 The danger of turning leaders into messiahs
01:01:01 Can CJP survive beyond its viral moment?
01:02:12 Criticism over journalists being heckled
01:03:03 Can Abhijit afford to run CJP full-time?
01:03:44 Kejriwal, AAP and allegations of political backing
01:05:20 The support Abhijit received from Uddhav Thackeray
01:06:29 Is CJP fighting Rahul Gandhi and Congress?
01:08:53 Will Abhijit Dipke join politics?
01:09:41 BJP, abusive language and FIRs against protesters
01:11:04 How will CJP fund itself?
01:12:48 Was this a Gen Z movement or a millennial movement?
01:14:42 Why independent media matters
