Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday said he would appear before a review committee of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in connection with the withholding of the group's X account, even as the party's protest at Jantar Mantar entered its fifth day.
According to reports, the ministry had directed Dipke to appear in person at its headquarters on Wednesday for a hearing regarding the government's decision to block the CJP's account on X.
Confirming his attendance, Dipke said in a post on X, "Today at 3 PM, I will personally appear before the Review Committee of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology regarding the withholding of our account, @CJP_2029."
The development assumes significance as Dipke has been spearheading a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in examinations and the NEET paper-leak controversy. The protest entered its fifth day on Wednesday, with Dipke refusing to leave the site.
The digital satirical outfit gained widespread attention soon after its launch on May 16 amid a controversy over remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, which were widely interpreted as comparing unemployed youths to "cockroaches".
The group's original X handle was withheld in India on May 21. It later returned to the platform under a new account named "Cockroach is Back".
On Tuesday, protesters organised a "diaper donation drive" as part of their campaign seeking Pradhan's resignation. Later in the evening, Dipke shared a video from the protest site showing demonstrators waving diapers and chanting "Go Pradhan Go".
The CJP has maintained that its agitation will continue until the Union minister steps down.