Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Tuesday declared that he will join the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protest in Delhi on June 6 if Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan does not submit his resignation by June 5.Engineer, innovator and education reformist Sonam Wangchuk. (PTI File)“If not us, who? If not now, when? I will be joining the CJP members in Delhi on 6th June if nothing changes by 5th June. Any self respecting Minister should resign if things go so wrong... Not to mention the effect on millions of young lives and in fact the future of India,” said Wangchuk in a post on X.CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced on June 1 that he will be returning to India on June 6 to stage a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. “We have been raising our voice for students who have committed suicide because of the NEET paper leak on social media for many days. For the hard work of lakhs of students that has been wasted, Dharmendra Pradhan should resign,” said Dipke in a video on X where he announced his visit.Wangchuk’s announcement to join the protest came after the CJP’s official X handle declared yesterday that an “eminent personality” would be joining their movement. He shared the decision in a video posted on X, adding that he sought Pradhan’s resignation due to larger systemic issues with the education system in addition to the NEET paper leak and the CBSE evaluation row.“Your reasons are the NEET and CBSE exams, but for me, it is a bigger issue. For the past four decades, I have tried to improve education in government schools in remote areas. When I don’t see anything changing, I feel disappointed and I feel the need to do something,” he said.Wangchuk also said that while government policies like the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Viksit Bharat 2047 possess the right intention for improving the education system, their implementation falls short. “I would rate the government 10 out of 10 for their intention, but their actions will determine the scope of development. Looking at the last 3 to 4 education ministers does not convince me that we will have a developed nation,” he said.Further, while displaying photos of children in government schools across the country, Wangchuk said that the same children are the future of developed India. He then emphasised that the vision of a developed nation by 2047 would not be achieved if the education system will not undergo reform. “So, to improve all this, I will request the Prime Minister that in any self-respecting country, in a democracy, if there is any self-respecting Education Minister, if there is such a thing, if the papers are leaked, and if something is not going on, then he will resign,” Wangchuk further said, adding that he would join the CJP’s protest if “nothing changes” by June 5.He also said that Dipke shared data about the CJP’s social media handles with him, leading him to conclude that the party is not backed by any “foreign powers.” “The Cockroach Janata Party is an expression of the Indian youth, and not a conspiracy of foreign powers... After talking to him, I understood that he does not have any wrong intentions. Rather, he is making a sacrifice, a sacrifice, to improve the country,” the climate activist said in the video while displaying the data shared by Dipke.Dipke, responding to Wangchuk’s announcement, said in an X post: “Sonam Wangchuk joins the Cockroach Movement! Thank you, sir, for joining the movement. It is a great honour for all of us cockroaches! Looking forward to meet you on June 6. Jai Hind.”