NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Saturday demanded that its remaining two demands be accepted in writing and announced a candle march for the evening after Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned amid nationwide protests over the NEET-UG paper leak.The party’s three demands are: Pradhan’s resignation, Rs 1 crore compensation for the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide, and the withdrawal of FIRs filed against protesters.CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka called Pradhan’s resignation a “win for the common man.”Speaking to the media, Ranka said, “This is a win for the nation’s future, a win for the common man… If you accept our three demands in writing, we will go home.

We have requested permission to take out a peaceful candle march across the country. Everyone should take out a candle march across the country at 6:00 in the evening.”In his resignation letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pradhan said he was stepping down for the sake of students, so that the country’s youth do not get “trapped in a web of confusion.” He spoke about his decades-long link to education and his commitment to young people’s aspirations.“For more than four decades, I have been associated with students, teachers, and the cause of education reform. I have always believed that a strong, inclusive, and forward-looking education system is the foundation of a strong nation,” Pradhan said.He also referred to the NEET-UG controversy, saying the government had acted quickly once irregularities came to light in the May 3 exam. “However, irregularities were found in the NEET-UG examination held on May 3, 2026. The Government of India immediately took cognisance of the matter, handed over the investigation to the CBI, cancelled the examination, and announced a date for the re-examination. Along with this, it was decided that from next year onwards, the examination would be conducted in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode,” he said.The resignation comes after a month-long protest at Jantar Mantar led by the CJP and activist Sonam Wangchuk, who went on a 26-day hunger strike. The agitation reached its peak on July 20, when CJP’s “Chalo Sansad” march led to clashes with police.Reacting to the resignation, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said, “We have done it. Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned.”He added, “Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned. And this resignation is proof that if you people are not afraid, if you people do not bow down to this government, then we can take the resignation of anyone.”