‘Every Morning I Feared Bad News’: Dipke’s Mother on Protest That Led to Pradhan’s Exit; Family Calls Dharmendra Pradhan Resignation as ‘Victory of Honesty’

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, 25th July 2026: The resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following the student-led agitation spearheaded by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has brought immense relief to his parents, who said they had lived in constant fear throughout the protest.

Speaking to reporters at their home in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Saturday, Dipke’s mother, Anita Dipke, fought back tears as she said she wanted her son to return home. “I will ask him to come home soon. If he doesn’t, we will go and bring him back. I will hug him tightly and perform his ‘aarti. The last time he came home, he stopped me from doing so, saying he was not a special person,” she said.

Calling the minister’s resignation “a victory of honesty”, Anita said the success of the movement belonged to the thousands of young people who had supported it. “I am extremely happy. His honesty has won. The support of young people made this possible, and together they achieved a major victory,” she said.

She recalled living through months of anxiety after Dipke returned to India and launched the protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. “I was worried all the time. I couldn’t sleep at night. Every morning, I was afraid to even look at my phone, fearing I would come across a disturbing video. I would immediately call his friends to ask whether he was safe,” she said.

According to Anita, Dipke’s friends would reassure her and tell her that whenever he learnt she was worried, he too would become emotional. Recalling the first day of the protest, she said she had broken down in tears because of the stress. “The tears in my eyes today are tears of happiness,” she added.

Dipke’s father, Bhagwanrao Dipke, said the family had been under tremendous pressure ever since his son founded the Cockroach Janta Party despite having no political background.

“When he entered politics, all of us were worried. He went against my wishes. No one in our family has ever had a political background,” he said.

Bhagwanrao said he had urged his son in June not to return to India from the United States because he feared he could be arrested. “We were so frightened that in the initial days we left our home and stayed in the Konkan region. We were under immense pressure and received threats of physical harm,” he said.

The prolonged anxiety also took a toll on the family’s health, he said. “We became so weak that we could barely stand. We could hardly eat one roti a day. We couldn’t eat properly or sleep,” he said, adding that Dipke was attacked twice during the course of the agitation.

Recalling an incident on July 20 when a police officer allegedly dragged Dipke during the protest, Bhagwanrao said, “I felt that if the police got hold of him, he would not survive. By God’s grace, he is safe.” He said he now hopes his son would return home and spend time with the family.

Commenting on Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, Bhagwanrao said the outgoing Union minister had shown “a big heart” by urging students to focus on their education while stepping down.

“It should not be seen as anyone’s victory or defeat. It takes a big heart to resign from such a high office. Even while resigning, he thought about the interests of students,” he said.

On his son’s future plans, Bhagwanrao said he was unaware of Dipke’s next political move. “He has previously worked with Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal and has seen politics closely. Personally, I do not like politics, so I don’t know what he will do next. But I will stand by him,” he said.