Minister's resignation, PM's midnight reels: Why CJP protest is a rare political spectacle

More than a decade ago, Rajnath Singh, then Union Home Minister, had confidently declared that ministers in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government never resign — unlike under the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime. He made this remark amid the controversy surrounding Lalit Modi, which had hit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the leading party of the ruling alliance.

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“We are the NDA, not the UPA. There will be no resignation of ministers,” he said proudly in a press conference.

Pradhan only second sitting minister in Modi era to resign

That was 2015. Eleven years later, Rajnath’s remarks were back on the internet. Reason: a heavyweight BJP leader and one of the top ministers of the NDA government, Dharmendra Pradhan, quit as the education minister in the face of relentless pressure from the student fraternity over the recent NEET examination paper leak fiasco.

The minister’s resignation on moral grounds, which many did not see coming easily as the government stood firm, is only the second by a sitting minister in the Modi dispensation that assumed power in 2014. The first was MJ Akbar, the journalist-turned-MP who quit as the minister of state for external affairs in 2018 in the wake of the #MeToo controversy.

Modi's unusual response on protest

Pradhan's resignation isn't the only unusual element of this protest. Equally unprecedented is Prime Minister Modi's choice to respond via Instagram reels, at nearly midnight, on two occasions this week. Despite Parliament being in session and the paper-leak controversy dominating headlines, he skipped a formal address to the House — opting instead for a platform popular with the Gen Z protesters themselves. One must not forget that this came from a man who never speaks in press conferences and maintains a tough public image.

Also read: NEET dreams break families, while GST revenues shoot up

The midnight timing appears deliberate too, likely tailored to youth who typically stay up late. His tone was notably casual, especially in the second reel, where he said “Thank you friends”. Never before in independent India had its highest executive addressed young citizens on a serious issue like exam-paper leaks using the very format and language they themselves favour.

CJP builds massive protest in short time

The two-month-old CJP, which led the protest after being founded by a little-known Abhijeet Dipke who just returned from the US, threw no less of a surprise. Originally an Indian youth-based satirical political movement, it began as social-media satire rather than a formal political outfit, mainly in response to Chief Justice Surya Kant’s “cockroaches” jibe, which he made on May 15. The CJP was founded the very second day, leaving people wondering, with many even making fun of it.

Exam scandal sparks serious protest

The protest was also not something that was brewing over a long period of time. There were no political controversy or regular issues such as inflation that triggered it. The trigger was an examination paper-leak scandal, which raised serious questions over the well-being of the education sector. The protest only snowballed till the authorities were clearly taken aback.

The hunger strike of activist Sonam Wangchuk, which continued for nearly a month, and the clashes between the CJP protesters and the police in New Delhi on July 20, in which people on both sides were injured, the shutdown of metro rail and internet services, and the gradual outspread of the protest to other parts of the country made the CJP’s growing clout evident in a short time.

Celebs speak out

Another rare feature of this protest has been the celebrities’ voice of concern. Representatives of India’s tinsel town are known to behave diplomatically when it comes to such sensitive issues, barring a few. But this time, a lot more reactions came out, including the likes of Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor, who backed the protests. Even former India cricket captain Sachin Tendulkar, who generally maintains silence on public controversies, issued a statement.

Also read: From slaps, social media ridicule to threats: Police brutality under fire amid CJP protests

The US-returned Dipke’s leadership to the CJP also made it unique since student agitations in India have traditionally been spearheaded by unions and domestic leaders. His presence brought the protest a diaspora and digital native.

Meanwhile, many of India’s own media outlets faced flak from the protesters as they were accused of being “Godi media” who only distorted stories. On the contrary, many prominent international news channels covered the protest comprehensively from the spot.