Cockroach Janta Party seeks 15% education budget, faster fee reimbursements in Telangana

Buoyed by what it described as a victory in its 36-day protest in New Delhi that ended with the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) Telangana unit on Wednesday said it would now shift its focus to educational reforms in the State. Its demands include increasing education spending, expediting fee reimbursement, fast-tracking investigations into paper leak cases and implementing the recommendations of former Telangana Education Commission chairman Akunuri Murali.

Addressing a gathering at People’s Plaza in Hyderabad, CJP Telangana representative Vijay Mallangi said the movement would continue beyond the developments in Delhi. “Our agenda now is to fight for educational reforms in Telangana. We want a minimum of 15% of the State budget to be allocated to education, fee reimbursement to be released at the earliest and all paper leak cases in Telangana to be thoroughly investigated. Any pending investigations should be fast-tracked. We also want the recommendations of former Telangana Education Commission chairman Akunuri Murali to be implemented this year instead of remaining confined to government files,” he said.

He added that the party would engage with student organisations across the State to prepare a student charter highlighting key concerns before taking it up with the CJP leadership.

The party had organised the gathering to celebrate what it described as the success of its nationwide agitation over alleged irregularities in National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test and the subsequent resignation of Mr.Pradhan. 

CJP members had also planned to march from People’s Plaza to the Ambedkar statue to pay tribute to students who allegedly died by suicide over examination-related issues. However, the march could not be held after the organisers said they were denied permission by the police. 

Members of the Cockroach Janta Party gather for a solidarity meeting at People’s Plaza in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit:
RAMAKRISHNA G.

According to Mr. Mallangi, the organisers had applied for permission on Tuesday, informing the authorities that around 300 people would participate in a peaceful gathering with a sound system. He alleged that shortly before the event began, they were informed permission had not been granted and that they would not be allowed to proceed with the march or use the sound system.

Speaking at the event, Sreeja of the Disha Students Organisation questioned the selective action taken over social media posts. She asked why action was initiated only against citizens critical of the government while posts targeting people based on religion, caste or containing derogatory remarks against political leaders often went unaddressed.

The gathering also featured slogans in support of Telangana and the nation, including ‘Jai Telangana’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. Protesters displayed placards on various issues, including one reading, ‘I take both my fuel and Coke sugar free’, drawing attention to concerns over ethanol blending in fuel. The programme concluded with participants singing and dancing to Gaddar’s iconic song Podusthunna Poddumeeda while raising slogans.