Haryana Minister Anil Vij on Sunday advised the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to consider changing its name, stating that a cockroach is a very unclean insect that even a small child would crush with a slipper upon seeing.
While acknowledging that everyone has the right to pursue their struggles in a democracy, the energy and transport minister emphasised that the term “cockroach” is associated with a dirty insect and that the group should not align with it.
“Cockroach ek bahut he gande keet ka naam hai. Isko chhota bachha bhi dekhkar chappal se kuchal deta hai. Sangarsh karo, ye prajatantra mein sabko adhikar hai, parantu apna naam badal do” (“Cockroach is the name of a very dirty insect. Even a small child crushes it with a slipper upon seeing it. Everyone has the right to struggle in a democracy, but change your name.”), Vij said in a post on X.
The CJP on Saturday held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, which, according to the organisers, drew participants from several states. It featured speeches by students, educators and activists who criticised the Centre’s handling of education-related issues.
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the CJP, on Sunday thanked the “thousands” of people who participated in the group’s protest and warned that the agitation would continue if Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was not removed from office or did not resign within seven days.
