New Delhi, Jun 24: Weighing in on the Cockroach Janata Party movement, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said while it was an important vehicle for sending a message of frustration on the part of the youth, ultimately established political parties have to take the issue raised by them forward.
In an interview with PTI Videos, the Congress general secretary also asserted that democracies cannot be dependent only on movements and that they are ultimately anchored in political parties.
Asked about the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) movement, Ramesh said, “Some people say it is sponsored by the deep state, some people say it is a reflection of the frustration of youth. There is no way to prove (either) but the fact is – it caught the social media space and it got a lot of headlines, but it is not a political party.”
“It is political parties that ultimately count. It is the party structure that counts. So while it was an important vehicle for sending a message of frustration on the part of the youth, ultimately I think established political parties have to take this forward,” Ramesh said.
Movements have their place but democracies cannot be dependent only on movements, democracies are ultimately anchored in political parties, he asserted.
The CJP has continued its sit-in protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The protesters on Tuesday held a “diaper donation drive” as part of their campaign seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged NEET-UG paper leak and examination irregularities.
The CJP has maintained that the protest will continue until Pradhan resigns.
The sit-in, which began on Saturday, has seen participation from students, aspirants and members of several student organisations.
On the issue of NEET-UG re-exam and the the CBSE OSM glitches, Ramesh said the Congress is running a campaign as part of which Rahul Gandhi addressed the students in Kota and will do so in Prayagraj, Patna and ultimately the campaign will culminate in Delhi in mid-July.
“We have to continue with this, no doubt about it. He (Gandhi) is not just raising the issue of NEET and CBSE, he is raising the fundamental issue of education, he is raising the issue of examination, he is raising the issue of public investment in education,” Ramesh told PTI.
The very important fact that the Leader of Opposition brought out in his Kota presentation which has not gotten the national attention it deserved and should be debated both in Parliament and outside, is that families are spending more on coaching centres than the central government is spending on education, Ramesh said.
“While we have to discuss the examination issue which is very important, I think a situation where families are spending more on coaching centres than the central government is spending on education is itself a fundamental mismatch, a fundamental asymmetry in our education system,” he said.
“Why are coaching centres so popular in this country? Why is medical education so expensive in this country? Why is everything getting privatised? Those are the questions that he (Gandhi) raised in Kota and also those are the questions we have to raise in Parliament and outside,” Ramesh said.
Over 20 lakh medical aspirants took a second shot at the NEET (UG) examination on Sunday after the original test was cancelled due to paper leaks, an issue that became a hot potato for the government and also triggered the popular protest movement of the CJP. (PTI)
