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Amidst the ongoing protests over the NEET paper leak controversy, former spokesperson of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) Vijeta Dahiya has said that the mental pressure on students is very serious and many people are considering it not just suicide but deaths to the failure of the system.

He alleged that incidents like paper leaks are happening again and again, but effective steps are not being taken to stop them. Vijeta Dahiya, while talking to news agency IANS, said that students preparing for competitive exams like NEET already have a lot of pressure. Students work hard day and night for months and sometimes years.

When the exam result comes and they feel that they have achieved success, it is a moment of immense happiness and relief for them. But if at the same time they are told that due to paper leak, questions have been raised on the examination process and they will have to re-appear, then their mental condition is deeply affected.

He said that if seen from the students’ point of view, this situation is very stressful. The relief after months of hard work suddenly turns into worry and uncertainty. For this reason, many people do not consider the deaths of those students as just individual actions, but link them to serious flaws in the examination system.

Vijeta Dahiya claimed that the talks between CJP and the government have been positive. The government has given an assurance in principle that compensation to the families of students who committed suicide due to the NEET paper leak will be considered.

He also said that an assurance has been given to withdraw the FIR lodged against the protesters. However, he said that the third major demand of the movement is the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and expressed hope that there will be further progress on this issue also.

Dahiya said the aim of the movement is not just to protest, but to ensure accountability and reforms in the examination system. According to him, the biggest need is to restore the confidence of the students.

On the allegations of CJP getting funding from opposition parties for the protests, Vijeta Dahiya said that there is nothing like that. The movement is going on completely with the cooperation of the public.

He said the offer of help was made by a political party, but clarified that if any political organization wants to contribute, it should be done openly. Giving the example of farmer organizations, he said that public assistance is a better way.

Dahiya said that people are contributing to the movement as per their capacity. Some people are providing essential things like carpets, fans, coolers and food. Many times, so much help is being received that one has to refuse even taking some contribution.

Describing it as a “people’s movement”, he said that a large number of people are feeling that they too should do something in support of the students.

On questions to CJP, Dahiya said that he is no longer the spokesperson of the organization, but is contributing at his level as a supporter. He said that this has become a nationwide people’s movement and because of this the government has at least agreed to talks.

He said that earlier the government was ignoring the issue, but now talks are taking place. He also said that some people talk about supporting students, but do not support CJP. According to Dahiya, since the movement was started by CJP, the role of the organization cannot be completely separated.

He appealed to celebrities and others that if they stand with the students then they should also accept the reality of the movement.

Vijeta Dahiya also raised questions regarding the manner of action taken against the officials. He said that mere transfer of an officer is not sufficient action. According to him, transfer is not a punishment.

Giving the example of transfer of Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi, he said that if any major problem occurs during the responsibility of an officer, then merely changing the department is not equivalent to fixing accountability.

He also mentioned the old cases to CBSE and said that many times the officers are simply sent to other departments. It is necessary to fix responsibility for real improvement in the system.

When asked whether opposition parties had taken over the movement, Dahiya said that CJP is not a political party. He called it a movement of youth and common people.

He said that right from the beginning, an appeal was made to political parties to extend support on issues to students, but not to come with their party flags. There have been some benefits from the participation of political parties in the movement, but its basic spirit is that of a non-party mass movement.

Dahiya said that the main objective of the movement is to highlight the problems of the students and demand improvement in the examination system. The government will take concrete steps in the interest of students and strong arrangements will be made to prevent such incidents in future.