Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday said he would press for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in examinations during a protest planned in Lucknow as part of the outfit's nationwide campaign.
The demonstration, scheduled to be held at Eco Garden in the state capital, is part of a youth-led movement that began in Delhi and has since expanded to other cities. However, it remained unclear whether the organisers had obtained permission from the local administration for the protest.
Phone calls and text messages from PTI to senior police officials seeking confirmation on the matter remained unanswered.
Speaking to mediapersons outside Lucknow airport late Thursday night, Dipke said the protest would be conducted peacefully while reiterating the group's demand for the education minister's resignation.
"I have come for the protest. We have seen peaceful protests in Delhi and Pune wherein we put forth our demands for resignation of the education minister. Tomorrow (Friday) also we are going to do just that in a peaceful and constitutional manner," Dipke told mediapersons outside Lucknow airport late Thursday night.
Responding to reports that permission for the protest may have been denied, Dipke said he would approach the authorities if required and seek approval for the demonstration.
"We have done peaceful protests in Delhi and Pune. We are not doing anything wrong. We just want to put forth our views in a democracy," he added.
The CJP held a protest in Pune on Thursday and plans to continue its campaign with demonstrations in Amritsar and Bengaluru. The organisation's nationwide mobilisation is expected to culminate in a major protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on June 20.