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NEW DELHI : Environmentalist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk on Saturday voiced support for the online “cockroach” movement led by the self-styled “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP), describing himself as an “honorary cockroach”, as he urged the government to engage with the concerns being raised by youngsters rather than suppressing their digital expression. The online campaign, which uses satire and the imagery of a cockroach as a symbol of resilience and dissent, has drawn attention in recent days amid claims by its founders of a crackdown on their social-media presence, including account suspensions and hacking allegations. The movement has framed itself around issues, such as unemployment, exam paper leaks and public accountability. Speaking on the controversy in an interview with PTI, Wangchuk said the campaign should be viewed as a form of democratic feedback and not as a threat. “First of all, I am very impressed,” Wangchuk told PTI. “Such creative expressions by our youth are nothing to worry about and nothing to be afraid of. The government should take the message — don’t kill the messenger. If we kill the messenger, the message will not end.” Asked whether he would formally join the movement, Wangchuk responded in a lighter vein, saying he does not qualify for membership but identifies himself with its message. “I have been asked from several quarters to speak on it. Some are saying I should also become a member,” he said. “I think I do not qualify — I am neither unemployed nor am I lazy. So sadly, I am not a member. But I consider myself an honorary cockroach,” he said. Drawing a comparison with political satire and caricatures published in newspapers, Wangchuk said dissent expressed through humour and symbolism is a legitimate democratic tool. “Like cartoonists in newspapers, you don’t shoot them because they made a caricature of the prime minister, the home minister or the defence minister. Similarly, this is also satire. See it as feedback,” he said. Wangchuk praised what he described as the movement’s non-violent and imaginative character, saying the youngsters of the country have chosen digital creativity over confrontation and it is things like these that make India a “Vishwaguru”. “I am very impressed that the youth of India wanted to bring out their frustration in such a creative way — not on the streets with stones, as has happened in other countries,” he said. “To respect it is the duty of the Indian government, to look at it lovingly and take its message.” He, however, warned that suppressing online spaces could aggravate frustrations among young people. Referring to reports that social-media accounts linked to the movement are being shut down, Wangchuk said authorities should avoid pushing dissent underground. “Otherwise, what will happen? I am hearing that their accounts are being closed. Then this anger can go anywhere,” he said. Drawing a parallel with political unrest in Nepal, Wangchuk argued that restricting creative expression online could have unintended consequences. “Violence did not happen just like that in Nepal. When they shut down the internet and stopped creative expressions online, youth came out on the streets and it became an ugly scene,” he said. He said the issues being raised by the “cockroach” movement, particularly alleged paper leaks and concerns over accountability, deserve attention rather than dismissal. “They are raising the issue of paper leak — there is nothing wrong with that,” he said. “In any country, ministers resign on such issues, so what is the big deal? Instead of suppressing them, their message should be taken.” He further said the movement reflects genuine anxiety among young people, who are trying to make themselves heard before frustrations deepen. “They are troubled, so they are expressing that they are worried — but not so much that they take to the streets. This could be the next step,” he said. “That is why, at this stage, their voices should be heard.” Wangchuk said the campaign has demonstrated a uniquely Indian form of protest and should be used as an opportunity to strengthen democracy. “It should be taken very positively and used to create a better India,” he said. “The creativity with which the youth of India have given this message — such things make us Vishwaguru. The youth of India do not take to the streets with stones, they present their point creatively.” He appealed to young people to remain peaceful, while urging the government not to corner them. “This is my message to the government — do not push them,” Wangchuk said. “And I request the youth to never go towards violence. Keep raising your voice, no matter how much you talk, never go towards violence. On the other hand, the government should not force them to take the path of violence,” he added. (Source: PTI)        

NEW DELHI : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the government will launch a “smart border” project in the next year to make the 6,000 km fronts with Pakistan and Bangladesh impenetrable and ensure that the “conspiracy” to change the demography of the areas is defeated. Delivering the annual Rustamji Memorial lecture hosted by the Border Security Force (BSF) here, the minister also reiterated that the government will find each and every infiltrator from the country and send them outside India. K F Rustamji was the first director general of the BSF after it was raised in 1965. “I want to assure BSF troops that we will launch this smart border project in the 60th year of its raising and we will make the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders impenetrable,” Shah said.     The Modi government, Shah added, has decided to create a “strong security grid” along the Pakistan and Bangladesh fronts in the next one year. The “smart border” will be aided by technology, drones, radars and smart cameras which will help create an impenetrable border, he told the gathering. The minister also urged BSF troops to ensure that the conspiracy to artificially change the demography of India is defeated. He said current state governments in Tripura, West Bengal and Assam — all led by the BJP — believe in the policy that there should no infiltration from across Indian borders. His ministry, Shah added, will soon hold a meeting with the chief ministers of these states on the subject of border security. The minister added that a high-powered demography mission declared earlier will be announced soon by the Union government. (Source: PTI)    

NEW DELHI : The Congress on Friday said it was shocked over claims made by top NTA officials that the NEET exam paper was “not leaked”, and said both the ‘Pradhan Mantri’ and the ‘Mantri Pradhan’ must be held accountable for this “cover-up”. The Congress also said that the National Testing Agency (NTA) has become a “National Trauma Agency” and accused the government of colluding with the paper leak mafia to suppress the truth of irregularities and fraud. In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said a “guess paper” featuring questions that appeared in the actual exam was circulating among students much before the exam date.   “Since the NTA was formed in 2018, the Modi Government and its ecosystem have been colluding with the paper leak mafia to suppress the truth of rampant irregularities and fraud in NTA-conducted exams,” he alleged in his post. “Today we have learnt from media reports that the NTA Director General claimed yesterday to a Parliamentary Committee that the NEET-UG 2026 exam was not leaked. If true, this is scandalous and shockingly dishonest – because it is clear that a ‘guess paper’ which featured dozens of questions that appeared in the actual exam was circulating among students much before the exam date. If that is not a leak, what is? Why is the Modi Government trying to deny it now?” Ramesh said. He alleged the Modi government had previously tried to “cover up” the widespread irregularities that had emerged in NEET-UG 2024 as well. “If it had faced up to the truth and taken action then, the NEET 2026 tragedy may have been avoided. The same hotspots of reported fraud which emerged in 2024 — like Rajasthan’s Sikar — have been implicated in the 2026 scandal as well,” he said. The Congress leader said in another episode of the same “disturbing series”, the CBI also filed a closure report alleging no irregularities in the UGC-NET exam of 2024 which had been cancelled by the NTA back then. When asked by a Delhi court to provide a written explanation for its closure report, the CBI has asked for more time, he said. “While the Court has thankfully pulled up the CBI for this delay, the CBI’s actions inspire no confidence in the agency’s motivation to do justice to its ongoing probes into NEET. “For the lakhs of aspiring youth of our country, the NTA has become the National Trauma Agency,” Ramesh said. The CBSE, NCERT, and other institutions of the Education Ministry (including Central Universities) are no better, he said. “The Education Minister is presiding over a system in which professional excellence is at a discount and where ideological affinity commands a premium,” he claimed. “Both the Pradhan Mantri and the Mantri Pradhan must be held accountable for this colossal tragedy and its ongoing cover-up,” Ramesh said. Several members of Parliament grilled top NTA officials on Thursday, with the agency’s director general telling them that the NEET-UG paper was not leaked through their system and the CBI is probing the matter, sources said. During a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, several MPs questioned the NTA officials on the steps taken by them to strengthen the exam system in order to prevent paper leaks in the future. (Source: PTI)