CJP leaders abandoned, starved protesters, went for party, claims influencer

Following Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, as CJP leaders danced and celebrated the incident as a "victory", one of its earliest backers, Meghnad S, accused the leadership of abandoning and starving the very volunteers who kept the month-long protest alive.Saurav Das's 'resignation party' video drew a sharp response from Meghnad S. (Image: Social Media)After the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led agitation over the NEET-UG paper leak claimed its biggest political victory with the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the movement is facing serious allegations from one of its most prominent backers.Political commentator and YouTuber Meghnad S has accused CJP leaders of "abandoning and starving" the protesters at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar after Pradhan resigned on Saturday. Commenting on an Instagram video where CJP leaders were "celebrating" and dancing after the resignation, Meghnad said while senior leaders celebrated after declaring "democracy has been restored", dozens of volunteers and protesters were left stranded in Delhi without food, shelter or support.Meghnad claimed he and a few others spent their own money to send many of them home, who kept the month-long protest alive.The allegations have attracted widespread criticism of the CJP leadership, which has increasingly come under scrutiny over the movement's leadership and functioning, especially over their handling during the final days of the agitation.Responding to the criticism, Saurav Das told India Today TV that the gathering was a meeting to thank around 150-200 volunteers, insisting that while celebratory visuals emerged, leaders were working to help protesters. Meghnad is not the only one criticising the CJP leadership. The party is also facing questions over its alleged treatment of Junaid, who, India Today Digital reported, arranged food for protesters at Jantar Mantar for over a month. Critics asked why he was allegedly left detained while CJP leaders celebrated. Others questioned the CJP leadership after Junaid, speaking to the Live Hindustan YouTube channel, alleged that CJP leaders did not even shake hands with him before leaving after the protests. His remarks made several people on social media to question whether the leadership's conduct towards those who had supported the month-long agitation was justified.Launched last month over the NEET-UG paper leak, the CJP's central demand was the resignation of Education Minister Pradhan. It began with memes and social media posts, which soon grew into sit-ins at Jantar Mantar. Activist Sonam Wangchuk went on a hunger strike. A march to the Parliament met with a brutal crackdown. What followed was unprecedented protests across the country, following Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from his post. DID CJP LEADERS ABANDON PROTESTORS AT JANTAR MANTAR?The trigger of the criticism faced by CJP leaders was a video in which CJP spokesperson Saurav Das was seen dancing in an indoor set-up. In the video, Das was seen grooving with a bunch of kids, and had a caption that said "Resignation Party".In some purported videos, said to be from the very gathering, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke was also seen meeting some people.The remark, followed by the celebratory video, even as many protestors struggled to leave Central Delhi, did not sit well with several people, including Meghnad.Commenting on the dance video, Meghnad accused the CJP leadership of walking away from the protest while volunteers were left to fend for themselves."I'm seeing this at 4 am in the morning. Me and a few others have spent the last two days sending abandoned and starving CJP volunteers and protestors home with our own money. I wasn't going to say anything, but I saw this video, and I'm pissed off...," Meghnad wrote.He then alleged that the volunteers who had worked for weeks were abandoned after the leadership left Jantar Mantar."Your volunteers were with you for the last month, selflessly working to make this protest possible. When you CJP 'leaders' got up and left, [Delhi] police came in, took their stuff, and they were thrown out of Jantar Mantar," added Meghnad, who unsuccessfully contested the 2025 Delhi Assembly polls.Meghnad's sharpest criticism of the video came in his concluding remarks. "While you are partying, 70+ protestors and students were left starving in Delhi because YOU decided not to care. Congratulations CJP, you have become just another political party after all. And f**k you," Medhnad wrote.India Today has not independently verified these allegations.Hours after commenting on Das' dance video, Meghnad shared information on how stranded protesters could obtain Tatkal train tickets and accommodation in Delhi."If you still want to go home and need a ticket, I'm sharing two Instagram handles. Just DM them. If you need a Tatkal ticket, message them before 10 am so you can get one. We've managed to work out a little arrangement for that. Otherwise, you'll have to wait another day," he said.Directing stranded protesters to the Indian Youth Congress office, he said, "If you need accommodation, you can go to the Indian Youth Congress office in Windsor Place, next to the Press Club. Please go there if you need help. If you need any other assistance, contact these two people and then DM me".CJP REACTS TO CRITICISM OVER 'RESIGNATION PARTY'Speaking to India Today TV, Saurav Das said, "I think people are exaggerating a lot. One thing I want to clarify is that it was not a five-star hotel. At best, it was a two- or three-star venue. It was a basement hall where we wanted to meet our hardworking volunteers, around 150 to 200 of them. More than half were from other states and wanted to return home after spending 37 days on the road.""We wanted to honour and thank them. Unfortunately, the visuals of us dancing came out. But what preceded that was a heart-to-heart interaction with each one of those volunteers. We were sitting on the floor and speaking to them individually. All of that happened, and it was very necessary to do so," he added. "It was not as if everyone had gathered there and nobody was taking care of the other issues we were facing. If I'm not on the stage, that doesn't mean I'm not working. The same logic applies here," Das also said.While the CJP leaders have achieved what they demanded, the debate has now moved to their alleged misconduct and insensitivity. Even as criticism is being levelled at CJP leaders, its leaders are not facing questions over accountability and conduct like is the norm in conventional politics, that too, from one of their backers.- EndsPublished By: Sushim MukulPublished On: Jul 27, 2026 19:59 IST