NEW DELHI: Goa chief minister and BJP leader Pramod Sawant on Wednesday denied that a social media post by state BJP president Narendra Sawaikar was directed at the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protests in Delhi.The CJP, an online satirical platform, was launched after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s alleged “cockroaches” remark about a section of unemployed youth during a court hearing. The group has been spearheading an indefinite sit-in in Delhi, demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET (UG) paper leak and calling for broader reforms to the education system.Sawant’s remarks came after Sawaikar shared on X an image of India’s map infested with termites and cockroaches, accompanied by the message: “Cockroaches with the termites! Save the nation!”Rejecting the opposition’s allegations, Sawant told reporters in Panaji, “The words like ‘cockroach’ or ‘termite’ in the post have no connection with the youth. Some people interpret statements according to their political views and have a habit of politicising every issue.”Opposition parties had alleged that the post was aimed at the CJP-led sit-in. The Congress on Tuesday demanded that Sawaikar apologise within 24 hours.Meanwhile, hundreds of youths staged a protest in Panaji on Wednesday against Sawaikar’s social media post. They gathered at Azad Maidan along with Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar, the party’s working president Sunil Kawthankar, Goa Pradesh Youth Congress Committee president Archit Naik, Congress spokesperson Amit Palekar and other leaders.Addressing the gathering, Panaji corporator Jack Sukhija said, “Fifteen years is enough time for any government to prove its credibility. The governments at the Centre and in the state have failed, and it is high time that we should send them back home.”Former Goa Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee president Pratima Coutinho alleged that the government was trying to divert attention from the agitation in Delhi. “But the protesters’ demand is simple. The Union government should sack Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan,” she added.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the protest, Chodankar urged the Centre to stop “harassing” the country’s youth.(With PTI inputs)
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