New Delhi: The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Saturday (July 4) wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking “how long will your government choose to ignore our voices, sir?” adding that his silence “stands as a tacit admission that you view the youth of this country as nothing more than pests to be ignored.” The satirical outfit is demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. “A hunger strike in a civil society is meant to bring moral pressure upon the powers that be. The underlying principle is simple: when someone like Sonam Wangchuk, a man who has dedicated his entire life, mind, and soul to this country and to the cause of education refuses to consume food, it is supposed to elicit a conscious response, whether moral or political, from the government of the day. Yet, you have not spoken a single word,” CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke wrote in the open letter. The letter is also signed by the satirical party’s chief spokesperson Saurav Das and spokespersons Ashutosh Ranka, Vaishnavi Gaur, Aafreen Nawaz, Deepak Baliyan, Ratna Singh and Vijeta Dahiya. The CJP has been protesting at Jantar Mantar demanding Pradhan’s resignation for 15 days and the members of the satirical outfit including environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk have been on an indefinite hunger strike for seven days.“As we endure this standoff, let this serve as a stark reminder to the reader and to your administration of exactly why we are sitting here. We are sitting here because your government has repeatedly failed to stop exam paper leaks that have shattered the faith and future of crores of young Indians,” the letter noted. It added: “We are sitting here because your education minister refuses to accept moral responsibility and resign from a post he has occupied for close to five years. We are sitting here because your administration has failed to provide even basic relief, dignity, or justice to the families of students who died by suicide under the crushing weight of this broken system. And above all, we are sitting here because we still believe in the Constitution’s most basic promise: that the elected are accountable to the electors.”Also read: Beyond Opposition: What the CJP Moment Reveals About Our Political CrisisFurther, the CJP underlined that no government is above questioning, no minister is above responsibility and no administration can silence citizens for demanding answers.“This protest is not just a political exercise but also a desperate cry to save the lives of our youth. Before we sat for the protest on 20th June, 11 students had committed suicide due to the compounding trauma of the paper leaks and exam cancellations. Today, as you continue to look away, that devastating count has crossed 29 students. Every single day your government chooses silence, the body count of India’s future rises,” the letter mentioned.Underlining that Pradhan has called them terrorists and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Nabin has threatened them, the CJP wrote, “One is forced to wonder: can a hunger strike move a leadership that has nothing but absolute contempt for its own people? Your resounding silence makes us ask—do you truly believe we are just “cockroaches”? If you, as the Prime Minister, refuse to respond to the Cockroach Janta Party’s peaceful hunger strike, your silence stands as a tacit admission that you view the youth of this country as nothing more than pests to be ignored.”“If you, as the Prime Minister, refuse to respond to the Cockroach Janta Party’s peaceful hunger strike, your silence stands as a tacit admission that you view the youth of this country as nothing more than pests to be ignored,” it added. The letter stated that by refusing to acknowledge Pradhan’s role in the destruction of India’s education system, Modi is “not projecting power but only displaying profound arrogance of power and absence of any accountability in your administration”.“If a peaceful protest, the destruction of 29 families, and a dying man’s fast cannot move your government, you leave the youth of India feeling completely hopeless, disillusioned, discarded, and lost. We demand that you break your silence, listen to the voice of India’s future before it is completely lost, and hold your minister Dharmendra Pradhan accountable,” it mentioned.