July 26, 2026

‘Beginning of accountability’: Prashant Kishor on Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation | India News

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins
‘Beginning of accountability’: Prashant Kishor on Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation | India News


'Beginning of accountability': Prashant Kishor on Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation
Prashant Kishor said the movement had gone beyond political affiliations.

NEW DELHI: Jan Suraaj founder and Bankipur assembly by-election candidate Prashant Kishor on Sunday described Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as the “beginning of accountability”, asserting that sustained public pressure had compelled the government to act.Addressing reporters, Kishor said the movement had gone beyond political affiliations and demonstrated that public mobilisation could force those in power to respond.“This is the beginning of accountability. Accountability is being enforced under public pressure. I always say that in this country, the opposition party can be weak. The opposition cannot be weak,” he said.Expressing support for those opposing what he termed the government’s “undemocratic behaviour”, Kishor said the issue was larger than any single political party.

CJP Jantar Mantar Protest Updates

“We stand with anyone who wants to challenge this government’s undemocratic behaviour and their work. Sonam Wangchuk is my friend. He’s a prominent academic, environmentalist, and friend of ours. This isn’t about a party; people have seen that if people stand up, if the public rises, even those in power will have to bow down,” he said.Referring to the ongoing protests in Delhi, Kishor said they reflected widespread public anger rather than the agenda of any one organisation.“What you and I are seeing in Delhi wasn’t a protest by one Sonam Wangchuk. The thousands of people who came to protest didn’t carry CJP flags. They were ordinary young people, frustrated by the daily paper leaks, unemployment, and the crumbling education system,” he said.Commenting on the arrest of Janshakti Janata Dal national president Tej Pratap Yadav, Kishor alleged that the action reflected the government’s nervousness.“Tej Pratap announced his support yesterday, and at 1.30 am last night, Tej Pratap was arrested and sent to Beur Jail. This shows how scared these people are. Under what section was he arrested? Why was he arrested? The police administration should explain this,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.Kishor claimed Pradhan’s resignation was only the beginning and suggested that the agitation would continue.“Dharmendra Pradhan had to leave, and that’s not all, this is just the beginning. This isn’t going to stop,” he added.Kishor also raised objections to an order issued by the district magistrate regarding election awareness activities involving Jeevika Didis. He urged the election commission and its observers to take note of the matter and initiate action.“The District Magistrate issued order. In which he stated that Jeevika Didi, would work for election awareness. We hope that the Election Commission, their observers, will take cognizance of this matter, and take action,” he said.He warned that if no action was taken by Monday, he and his supporters would stage a protest outside the Election Commission’s office.“If action isn’t taken by tomorrow, we will go to the Election Commission and sit on a protest at their gate, along with my colleagues,” Kishor said.



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Binturong Somewhere in the collective memory of Indian cinema perches Allah Rakha, the trained bird of prey from Coolie that generations of filmgoers grew up watching. It was a small but glamorous detail in a blockbuster, a wild creature transformed into a loyal companion. It would be difficult to prove that any one film encouraged the wildlife trade. Yet such portrayals can make proximity to a wild animal appear exciting, harmless and even aspirational. The reality behind that image is far less charming.A 2020 study of Facebook groups and pages in Thailand recorded 396 raptors and owls offered for sale between February 2015 and June 2019. These included nine shikras. Researchers found evidence that wild birds, including chicks taken from nests, were being offered online; one juvenile shikra was explicitly advertised as wild-caught. CJP Jantar Mantar Protest UpdatesDharmendra Pradhan resigns as Union education minister amid massive student protests’We won’t go’: CJP’s Dipke says protests to continue till all demands metFresh clashes at Jantar Mantar after Pradhan’s exit; tear gas fired, stones peltedThe falcon story, then, is not an isolated cultural memory. It points to a trade that has moved from cages in traditional markets to photographs, private messages and social-media listings.Earlier this month, a joint operation by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, supported by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, recovered 53 protected animals and birds from locations in Maharashtra and West Bengal. The haul included 15 slow lorises, two binturongs, 28 star tortoises, six Egyptian vultures and two shikras. Six people were arrested in connection with what investigators described as an alleged interstate wildlife-trafficking syndicate. The investigation remains under way. The raid was an important enforcement success. It was also a window into a conservation crisis that rarely receives the attention reserved for tiger skins, elephant ivory or rhino horn.From forest animal to social-media propSlow lorises are especially vulnerable to the visual economy of the exotic-pet trade. Their large eyes and seemingly gentle movements make them attractive subjects for videos, tourist photographs and online posts. What looks endearing on a screen can conceal capture, transport, injury and prolonged stress.Studies of the tourist-photo trade have documented nocturnal slow lorises being exposed to bright lights and repeated flash photography, conditions that can disrupt their natural activity patterns and potentially damage their light-sensitive eyes. Egyptian vulture The physical toll can be severe. Researchers examining 77 confiscated greater slow lorises taken to a rehabilitation centre in Indonesia found that 28.6% died within six months, mostly because of traumatic injuries. All the infants in the group died. External wounds, dental problems and abnormal behaviour were common among those that survived. The study did not claim that every injury occurred during capture or transport, but it demonstrated the extraordinary welfare cost carried by animals moving through the illegal trade. By the time a wild animal appears in someone’s home or on a tourist’s shoulder, others may already have died along the supply chain. The binturong faces a similar pressure. A 2024 study of online trade in Indonesia found 594 advertisements offering 724 live binturongs, with 97.6% of the listings appearing on Facebook. Researchers concluded that the exotic-pet trade appeared to be the principal source of demand in their dataset. Although the exact origins of most animals could not be established, the authors argued that a large share were probably taken illegally from the wild. Seizure records from 2015 to 2023 included 103 live binturongs. The evidence comes from Indonesia, and should not automatically be treated as a measure of the trade in India. But it shows how quickly demand for a relatively little-known forest animal can grow once buyers and sellers find one another online.When beauty and belief become threatsNot every trafficked animal is bought for the same reason. The Indian star tortoise is prized for the striking pattern on its shell and is widely sought in the exotic-pet trade. In some markets, demand is also reinforced by beliefs that tortoises bring luck, prosperity or blessings. Those beliefs may sound benign, but they can turn a wild animal into an object of possession and encourage the removal of thousands of individuals from their natural habitat. The Egyptian vultures recovered during the CBI-DRI operation require more careful interpretation. The official release confirms their recovery but does not say why they were being traded or what the intended buyers planned to do with them. It would therefore be premature to attribute this particular seizure to occult practices, medicine or any other specific purpose. What is clear is that the Egyptian vulture is already endangered and faces several established threats, including poisoning, unsafe veterinary drugs, electrocution and the ingestion of contaminated carcasses. Illegal capture or trade adds another hazard to a species that has little room left for additional pressure. The larger lesson is that wildlife trafficking is not one market. It is a collection of overlapping markets driven by pets, status, food, traditional practices, decorative value and beliefs about luck or healing. Different species enter the chain for different reasons, but the result is often the same, an animal is removed from the wild and reduced to a commodity.A crisis hiding in plain sightPublic attention to wildlife crime naturally gravitates towards tigers, elephants and rhinos. Sustained focus on these species has helped strengthen legislation, enforcement and public awareness. But the success of flagship-species conservation can create a blind spot. It can leave the impression that the broader war on wildlife trafficking is being won, even as birds, reptiles, primates and small carnivores continue to move through less visible networks.A Lok Sabha reply issued in August 2025 listed 820 wildlife-crime cases reported to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in 2020, followed by 632 in 2021, 546 in 2022, 349 in 2023 and 354 in 2024. These were cases registered and reported by state and central enforcement agencies. They are not estimates of the total number of wildlife crimes committed. The numbers therefore require care. The broad decline may indicate better deterrence, changing enforcement priorities or variations in reporting. It may also reflect the growing difficulty of detecting transactions that have moved online. The small increase from 349 cases in 2023 to 354 in 2024 also means the series is not an uninterrupted annual fall. A detected case tells us that enforcement found something. A falling number of detected cases does not, by itself, tell us whether the underlying trade is shrinking.The bazaar and the smartphoneThe modern wildlife trade does not require the dark web. Ordinary social-media platforms are sufficient. A photograph can function as a shop window. The price can be negotiated through a private message. Buyers and sellers may never meet until the animal is delivered or handed to an intermediary. Research on the online trade in raptors and binturongs shows how public or semi-private social-media groups can connect sellers with a large customer base while making monitoring difficult.But the smartphone has not replaced the traditional wildlife market. The two systems can coexist. Repeated enforcement operations at Delhi’s Kabutar Market near Jama Masjid illustrate the resilience of the physical trade. Wildlife SOS reported that 1,741 birds, including around 500 chicks, were recovered in a 2022 operation. In July 2024, the Delhi Forest Department recovered around 1,000 birds following a complaint by PETA India. Nearly 150 more parakeets and pigeons were recovered in another operation that December. These figures do not establish that every trader in the market is involved in illegal activity. They do, however, show that protected native birds have repeatedly been found within an established commercial space. An IndiaSpend investigation into bird markets in Delhi, Patna and Lucknow also reported sales of protected species, poor welfare conditions and widespread non-compliance with registration requirements. Such findings should be attributed to the specific investigation rather than used to condemn every pet-shop owner or vendor in those cities. Shikra Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, establishments selling live animals are required to register and maintain prescribed welfare and record-keeping standards. Separately, the Wild Life (Protection) Act regulates the possession and trade of protected wildlife. Registration as a pet shop does not authorise a business to sell a protected native species. Looking beyond the flagship speciesRaids matter. They rescue individual animals, disrupt supply chains and create consequences for traffickers. But repeated recoveries from the same markets show the limits of enforcement that addresses supply without reducing demand. Protecting biodiversity will require closer monitoring of online platforms, better coordination among forest departments, police, customs authorities and courier networks, and consistent action against the illegal sale of protected species. Social-media companies must also become more effective at identifying and removing wildlife-sale posts rather than relying largely on outside researchers and activists to flag them.Public behaviour matters just as much. A person posing with a nocturnal primate may see only an unusual holiday photograph. A buyer taking home a tortoise may believe that one small purchase cannot harm a species. Someone sharing an exotic-pet video may not know whether the animal was legally bred or pulled from the wild.But demand is built from individual acts. Every impulsive purchase, paid photograph and viral post can add value to the next animal waiting to be captured. South Asia’s conservation story cannot end with the tiger, the elephant or the rhino. Its future also depends on the shikra in the cage, the loris under the camera flash, the tortoise hidden inside a bag and the binturong advertised through a phone screen. These are the creatures that rarely command front pages. They are also the ones the wildlife trade is counting on nobody to notice.Dr. Ridhima Solanki holds a PhD in Natural Resources and Wildlife Sciences and a Master’s in Forestry, with over a decade of experience shaping wildlife policy and practice across India and Southeast Asia.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorRidhima SolankiDr. Ridhima Solanki holds a PhD in Natural Resources and Wildlife Sciences and a Master’s in Forestry, with over a decade of experience shaping wildlife policy and practice across India and Southeast Asia. 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Binturong Somewhere in the collective memory of Indian cinema perches Allah Rakha, the trained bird of prey from Coolie that generations of filmgoers grew up watching. It was a small but glamorous detail in a blockbuster, a wild creature transformed into a loyal companion. It would be difficult to prove that any one film encouraged the wildlife trade. Yet such portrayals can make proximity to a wild animal appear exciting, harmless and even aspirational. The reality behind that image is far less charming.A 2020 study of Facebook groups and pages in Thailand recorded 396 raptors and owls offered for sale between February 2015 and June 2019. These included nine shikras. Researchers found evidence that wild birds, including chicks taken from nests, were being offered online; one juvenile shikra was explicitly advertised as wild-caught. CJP Jantar Mantar Protest UpdatesDharmendra Pradhan resigns as Union education minister amid massive student protests’We won’t go’: CJP’s Dipke says protests to continue till all demands metFresh clashes at Jantar Mantar after Pradhan’s exit; tear gas fired, stones peltedThe falcon story, then, is not an isolated cultural memory. It points to a trade that has moved from cages in traditional markets to photographs, private messages and social-media listings.Earlier this month, a joint operation by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, supported by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, recovered 53 protected animals and birds from locations in Maharashtra and West Bengal. The haul included 15 slow lorises, two binturongs, 28 star tortoises, six Egyptian vultures and two shikras. Six people were arrested in connection with what investigators described as an alleged interstate wildlife-trafficking syndicate. The investigation remains under way. The raid was an important enforcement success. It was also a window into a conservation crisis that rarely receives the attention reserved for tiger skins, elephant ivory or rhino horn.From forest animal to social-media propSlow lorises are especially vulnerable to the visual economy of the exotic-pet trade. Their large eyes and seemingly gentle movements make them attractive subjects for videos, tourist photographs and online posts. What looks endearing on a screen can conceal capture, transport, injury and prolonged stress.Studies of the tourist-photo trade have documented nocturnal slow lorises being exposed to bright lights and repeated flash photography, conditions that can disrupt their natural activity patterns and potentially damage their light-sensitive eyes. Egyptian vulture The physical toll can be severe. Researchers examining 77 confiscated greater slow lorises taken to a rehabilitation centre in Indonesia found that 28.6% died within six months, mostly because of traumatic injuries. All the infants in the group died. External wounds, dental problems and abnormal behaviour were common among those that survived. The study did not claim that every injury occurred during capture or transport, but it demonstrated the extraordinary welfare cost carried by animals moving through the illegal trade. By the time a wild animal appears in someone’s home or on a tourist’s shoulder, others may already have died along the supply chain. The binturong faces a similar pressure. A 2024 study of online trade in Indonesia found 594 advertisements offering 724 live binturongs, with 97.6% of the listings appearing on Facebook. Researchers concluded that the exotic-pet trade appeared to be the principal source of demand in their dataset. Although the exact origins of most animals could not be established, the authors argued that a large share were probably taken illegally from the wild. Seizure records from 2015 to 2023 included 103 live binturongs. The evidence comes from Indonesia, and should not automatically be treated as a measure of the trade in India. But it shows how quickly demand for a relatively little-known forest animal can grow once buyers and sellers find one another online.When beauty and belief become threatsNot every trafficked animal is bought for the same reason. The Indian star tortoise is prized for the striking pattern on its shell and is widely sought in the exotic-pet trade. In some markets, demand is also reinforced by beliefs that tortoises bring luck, prosperity or blessings. Those beliefs may sound benign, but they can turn a wild animal into an object of possession and encourage the removal of thousands of individuals from their natural habitat. The Egyptian vultures recovered during the CBI-DRI operation require more careful interpretation. The official release confirms their recovery but does not say why they were being traded or what the intended buyers planned to do with them. It would therefore be premature to attribute this particular seizure to occult practices, medicine or any other specific purpose. What is clear is that the Egyptian vulture is already endangered and faces several established threats, including poisoning, unsafe veterinary drugs, electrocution and the ingestion of contaminated carcasses. Illegal capture or trade adds another hazard to a species that has little room left for additional pressure. The larger lesson is that wildlife trafficking is not one market. It is a collection of overlapping markets driven by pets, status, food, traditional practices, decorative value and beliefs about luck or healing. Different species enter the chain for different reasons, but the result is often the same, an animal is removed from the wild and reduced to a commodity.A crisis hiding in plain sightPublic attention to wildlife crime naturally gravitates towards tigers, elephants and rhinos. Sustained focus on these species has helped strengthen legislation, enforcement and public awareness. But the success of flagship-species conservation can create a blind spot. It can leave the impression that the broader war on wildlife trafficking is being won, even as birds, reptiles, primates and small carnivores continue to move through less visible networks.A Lok Sabha reply issued in August 2025 listed 820 wildlife-crime cases reported to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in 2020, followed by 632 in 2021, 546 in 2022, 349 in 2023 and 354 in 2024. These were cases registered and reported by state and central enforcement agencies. They are not estimates of the total number of wildlife crimes committed. The numbers therefore require care. The broad decline may indicate better deterrence, changing enforcement priorities or variations in reporting. It may also reflect the growing difficulty of detecting transactions that have moved online. The small increase from 349 cases in 2023 to 354 in 2024 also means the series is not an uninterrupted annual fall. A detected case tells us that enforcement found something. A falling number of detected cases does not, by itself, tell us whether the underlying trade is shrinking.The bazaar and the smartphoneThe modern wildlife trade does not require the dark web. Ordinary social-media platforms are sufficient. A photograph can function as a shop window. The price can be negotiated through a private message. Buyers and sellers may never meet until the animal is delivered or handed to an intermediary. Research on the online trade in raptors and binturongs shows how public or semi-private social-media groups can connect sellers with a large customer base while making monitoring difficult.But the smartphone has not replaced the traditional wildlife market. The two systems can coexist. Repeated enforcement operations at Delhi’s Kabutar Market near Jama Masjid illustrate the resilience of the physical trade. Wildlife SOS reported that 1,741 birds, including around 500 chicks, were recovered in a 2022 operation. In July 2024, the Delhi Forest Department recovered around 1,000 birds following a complaint by PETA India. Nearly 150 more parakeets and pigeons were recovered in another operation that December. These figures do not establish that every trader in the market is involved in illegal activity. They do, however, show that protected native birds have repeatedly been found within an established commercial space. An IndiaSpend investigation into bird markets in Delhi, Patna and Lucknow also reported sales of protected species, poor welfare conditions and widespread non-compliance with registration requirements. Such findings should be attributed to the specific investigation rather than used to condemn every pet-shop owner or vendor in those cities. Shikra Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, establishments selling live animals are required to register and maintain prescribed welfare and record-keeping standards. Separately, the Wild Life (Protection) Act regulates the possession and trade of protected wildlife. Registration as a pet shop does not authorise a business to sell a protected native species. Looking beyond the flagship speciesRaids matter. They rescue individual animals, disrupt supply chains and create consequences for traffickers. But repeated recoveries from the same markets show the limits of enforcement that addresses supply without reducing demand. Protecting biodiversity will require closer monitoring of online platforms, better coordination among forest departments, police, customs authorities and courier networks, and consistent action against the illegal sale of protected species. Social-media companies must also become more effective at identifying and removing wildlife-sale posts rather than relying largely on outside researchers and activists to flag them.Public behaviour matters just as much. A person posing with a nocturnal primate may see only an unusual holiday photograph. A buyer taking home a tortoise may believe that one small purchase cannot harm a species. Someone sharing an exotic-pet video may not know whether the animal was legally bred or pulled from the wild.But demand is built from individual acts. Every impulsive purchase, paid photograph and viral post can add value to the next animal waiting to be captured. South Asia’s conservation story cannot end with the tiger, the elephant or the rhino. Its future also depends on the shikra in the cage, the loris under the camera flash, the tortoise hidden inside a bag and the binturong advertised through a phone screen. These are the creatures that rarely command front pages. They are also the ones the wildlife trade is counting on nobody to notice.Dr. Ridhima Solanki holds a PhD in Natural Resources and Wildlife Sciences and a Master’s in Forestry, with over a decade of experience shaping wildlife policy and practice across India and Southeast Asia.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorRidhima SolankiDr. Ridhima Solanki holds a PhD in Natural Resources and Wildlife Sciences and a Master’s in Forestry, with over a decade of experience shaping wildlife policy and practice across India and Southeast Asia. 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Vamsikrishna 0
MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday termed as “misleading” a social media post claiming that ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said there was no foreign funding behind the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led youth protest in Delhi.The CJP stir, followed by demonstrations in other parts of the country, led to the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET (UG) question paper leak and other related issues.”The post is misleading and misrepresents the statement of the spokesperson,” the MEA’s fact-check unit wrote on X, referring to the statement attributed to Jaiswal.It also shared Jaiswal’s actual response to a query on allegations of foreign funding behind the CJP-led demonstrations.CJP Jantar Mantar Protest UpdatesDharmendra Pradhan resigns as Union education minister amid massive student protests’We won’t go’: CJP’s Dipke says protests to continue till all demands metFresh clashes at Jantar Mantar after Pradhan’s exit; tear gas fired, stones pelted”Madhu, regarding the point you raised about allegations of foreign funding and other such claims in connection with the ongoing protests, I would like to say that I do not have any information on this matter to share with you at this time,” he replied during a weekly media briefing on Friday.The clarification came in response to a viral post on X claiming that Jaiswal had said, “I have been asked about the funding of the CJP protest many a time. I want to say that our intelligence & investigation reveals there is no foreign funding in it.”CJP, an online satirical platform, was formed following a remark by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, in which he described a section of unemployed youth as “cockroaches.” The CJI later clarified that he had been misquoted.The allegations of foreign funding have largely been linked to the fact that Abhijit Dipke, who founded the outfit, is a former student of Boston University. Dipke founded CJP in Boston and returned to India in June to lead its demonstrations seeking accountability over the NEET (UG) paper leak in May.The demonstrations peaked on July 20 with the group’s “Chalo Sansad” march to Parliament, where protesters faced police action. The crackdown drew criticism from opposition parties, while the police maintained that the protest had turned violent.The 37-day-long agitation culminated in Pradhan’s resignation on Saturday afternoon. The CJP called off its stir after the government accepted all its demands.Union minister Pralhad Joshi has been assigned additional charge of Pradhan’s ministry of human resource development.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosDelhi Drain Tragedy: 20-Year-Old US Student Dies After Car Plunges Into DrainKargil Vijay Diwas 2026: How Operation Vijay Transformed India’s Military And Defence Strategy3 Arrested In Assam As STF Cracks Down On Alleged Pakistan-Linked Sleeper Cell NetworkDelhi Approves Rs 6,970-Crore Tunnel Corridor To Cut Airport, Mahipalpur Traffic‘Time To Go Home’: CJP Removes Stage, Urges Protesters To Leave Jantar Mantar’Don’t Waste This Energy On One Resignation’: Yogendra Yadav On CJP Future, ‘Police Brutality’RSS Loyalist Pralhad Joshi Appointed As India’s New Education Minister Hours After Pradhan’s ExitPost Protest, Volunteers Launch Cleanliness Drive At Jantar Mantar’Wangchuk, Dipke Joined AISA’s Protest’: Harsh Dubey On NEET, Reservation, Jantar Mantar ProtestJantar Mantar Erupts In Celebration As Pradhan Resigns, Delhi Metro Reopens All Station Gates123PhotostoriesThinking of dating a coworker? These 8 rules can save your relationship and your career“Talk to your baby as if they understand you”: Pediatrician shares 5 simple habits that may support your baby’s brain development5 natural foods that can kill cockroaches instantlyAriana Grande, Celine Dion, Katy Perry and more: Musicians who slammed the White House over unauthorised use of their songsInside Krushna Abhishek’s lavish Mumbai home: A massive living room, elegant interiors and moreIran ended visa-free entry for Indians, and it wasn’t the only country to tighten travel rules in 2026; three more countries quietly followed8 Plants that quietly attract sunbirds to Indian balconies5 relationship lessons people often learn only after heartbreakWhat happens when you knead roti dough with hot water and salt? 3 secrets to keep rotis soft for hoursWhy do some cheeses have holes while others don’t?123Hot PicksSchool holiday todayDelhi metroCJP ProtestMumbai rainGujarat RainAIIMS notificationNEET paper controversyAAI recruitment 2026Caitline ClarkTop TrendingMP NEET Arpirant RapeNEET Paper LeakCJP Protester AssaultedKerala IPS Ajith Kumar SuspensionAssam Flood DeathsDelhi Metro Stations ClosedMumbai ProtestUP Amroha WeddingHarbhajan singhIND U19 vs Sri Lanka U19

MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday termed as “misleading” a social media post claiming that ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said there was no foreign funding behind the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led youth protest in Delhi.The CJP stir, followed by demonstrations in other parts of the country, led to the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET (UG) question paper leak and other related issues.”The post is misleading and misrepresents the statement of the spokesperson,” the MEA’s fact-check unit wrote on X, referring to the statement attributed to Jaiswal.It also shared Jaiswal’s actual response to a query on allegations of foreign funding behind the CJP-led demonstrations.CJP Jantar Mantar Protest UpdatesDharmendra Pradhan resigns as Union education minister amid massive student protests’We won’t go’: CJP’s Dipke says protests to continue till all demands metFresh clashes at Jantar Mantar after Pradhan’s exit; tear gas fired, stones pelted”Madhu, regarding the point you raised about allegations of foreign funding and other such claims in connection with the ongoing protests, I would like to say that I do not have any information on this matter to share with you at this time,” he replied during a weekly media briefing on Friday.The clarification came in response to a viral post on X claiming that Jaiswal had said, “I have been asked about the funding of the CJP protest many a time. I want to say that our intelligence & investigation reveals there is no foreign funding in it.”CJP, an online satirical platform, was formed following a remark by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, in which he described a section of unemployed youth as “cockroaches.” The CJI later clarified that he had been misquoted.The allegations of foreign funding have largely been linked to the fact that Abhijit Dipke, who founded the outfit, is a former student of Boston University. Dipke founded CJP in Boston and returned to India in June to lead its demonstrations seeking accountability over the NEET (UG) paper leak in May.The demonstrations peaked on July 20 with the group’s “Chalo Sansad” march to Parliament, where protesters faced police action. The crackdown drew criticism from opposition parties, while the police maintained that the protest had turned violent.The 37-day-long agitation culminated in Pradhan’s resignation on Saturday afternoon. The CJP called off its stir after the government accepted all its demands.Union minister Pralhad Joshi has been assigned additional charge of Pradhan’s ministry of human resource development.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosDelhi Drain Tragedy: 20-Year-Old US Student Dies After Car Plunges Into DrainKargil Vijay Diwas 2026: How Operation Vijay Transformed India’s Military And Defence Strategy3 Arrested In Assam As STF Cracks Down On Alleged Pakistan-Linked Sleeper Cell NetworkDelhi Approves Rs 6,970-Crore Tunnel Corridor To Cut Airport, Mahipalpur Traffic‘Time To Go Home’: CJP Removes Stage, Urges Protesters To Leave Jantar Mantar’Don’t Waste This Energy On One Resignation’: Yogendra Yadav On CJP Future, ‘Police Brutality’RSS Loyalist Pralhad Joshi Appointed As India’s New Education Minister Hours After Pradhan’s ExitPost Protest, Volunteers Launch Cleanliness Drive At Jantar Mantar’Wangchuk, Dipke Joined AISA’s Protest’: Harsh Dubey On NEET, Reservation, Jantar Mantar ProtestJantar Mantar Erupts In Celebration As Pradhan Resigns, Delhi Metro Reopens All Station Gates123PhotostoriesThinking of dating a coworker? These 8 rules can save your relationship and your career“Talk to your baby as if they understand you”: Pediatrician shares 5 simple habits that may support your baby’s brain development5 natural foods that can kill cockroaches instantlyAriana Grande, Celine Dion, Katy Perry and more: Musicians who slammed the White House over unauthorised use of their songsInside Krushna Abhishek’s lavish Mumbai home: A massive living room, elegant interiors and moreIran ended visa-free entry for Indians, and it wasn’t the only country to tighten travel rules in 2026; three more countries quietly followed8 Plants that quietly attract sunbirds to Indian balconies5 relationship lessons people often learn only after heartbreakWhat happens when you knead roti dough with hot water and salt? 3 secrets to keep rotis soft for hoursWhy do some cheeses have holes while others don’t?123Hot PicksSchool holiday todayDelhi metroCJP ProtestMumbai rainGujarat RainAIIMS notificationNEET paper controversyAAI recruitment 2026Caitline ClarkTop TrendingMP NEET Arpirant RapeNEET Paper LeakCJP Protester AssaultedKerala IPS Ajith Kumar SuspensionAssam Flood DeathsDelhi Metro Stations ClosedMumbai ProtestUP Amroha WeddingHarbhajan singhIND U19 vs Sri Lanka U19

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