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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Rallies across state back CJP

Several protesters gathered at Dadar, Mumbai, on Monday in support of CJP's Delhi protest. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Endorsing the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s massive agitation near the Parliament in New Delhi, lakhs of youth, students and social organizations took to the streets with angry protests, marches and demonstrations almost all over Maharashtra on Monday. Opposition parties in the state including the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and...

Rallies across state back CJP

Several protesters gathered at Dadar, Mumbai, on Monday in support of CJP's Delhi protest. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Endorsing the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s massive agitation near the Parliament in New Delhi, lakhs of youth, students and social organizations took to the streets with angry protests, marches and demonstrations almost all over Maharashtra on Monday. Opposition parties in the state including the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (UBT), along with other smaller outfits either voluntarily joined the protestors or wholeheartedly supported them. The political parties expressed full solidarity with the CJP, flayed the forced hospitalization of environment activist Sonam Wangchuk and expressed anger at the purported undermining of major public examinations beset with multiple leaks of question papers in recent years. The demonstrations attracted thousands of collegians, unemployed youngsters, professionals like lawyers, social activists, civil society members, farmers and others, including a large number of women, as the local police deployed strict security to prevent any untoward incidents. The protestors, carrying banners, placards, the National Tricolour and in some places, copies of the Constitution marched or assembled at various central locations in different cities, including Dadar in Mumbai, respective district headquarters since morning, braving showers or heavy rains in many areas. They ranted anti-government slogans, vociferously demanded the resignation of the Union Education Minister of India Dharmendra Pradhan, seeking what they termed as ‘accountability by those holding public offices’, ‘transparency’, ‘safeguarding their democratic rights’ and ‘mutual dialogue’ to resolve such contentious issues. In some districts, the gatherings also condemned the forcible eviction of Wangchuk to a government hospital two days ago, and lashed out the Delhi Police for lobbing teargas shells and mild lathi-charge on the protestors who reached very close to the Parliament – where the Monsoon Session 2026 opened on Monday. Constitutional Rights Speakers at the venues accused the government of allegedly suppressing the Constitutional right to peaceful protests through high-handed means, warning it could deepen public resentment rather than solving the problems the masses raised. Though the emotionally-charged protests in the state remained largely disciplined and peaceful, in some places like Mumbai, a few demonstrators were detained in the afternoon for not adhering to police directives. In Mumbai, the participants included mostly students, young professionals, retired citizens and civil society groups, while the district-level rallies elsewhere drew significant presence of the local youth, farmers organisations and social activists. The vigorous campaigns were carried out in the capital Mumbai and second capital Nagpur, besides Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Akola, Amravati, Dhule, Ahilyanagar, Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Jalna, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Wardha, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Bhandara, Washim, Yavatmal and Buldhana. Thackeray slams Centre Ex-Chief Minister and SS (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray took potshots at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government saying “they can hold talks with Pakistan, but not our youth”. His party MP Sanjay Raut alleged that ‘one word’ by a top judge had sparked a nationwide unrest for the past two months, igniting the youth to question the BJP governments at the Centre and in states. Many irate youngsters told the media that the exam reforms centric campaign has now transformed into a broader nationwide movement for debates on civil liberties, dissent and democratic rights of the citizens, and they would continue till their aims are achieved. Hundreds gather in Nagpur to support CJP Hundreds of students, youth and senior citizens staged an agitation in Nagpur on Monday in support of activist Sonam Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janta Party's protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. Chanting anti-government slogans over alleged exam paper leaks, angry demonstrators, including students and senior citizens, gathered at Samvidhan Square and vowed to press ahead with their agitation until the education minister steps down. Protesters expressed outrage over the forcible removal of Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar in the national capital and the lathi-charge on students during their march to Parliament. Holding placards, banners and photos of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, demonstrators gathered at the site amid heavy police deployment. One of the young demonstrators said that their agitation will continue till the education minister resigns.

Heritage Rekindled

This year’s Diwali marks a landmark moment for Ayodhya. On this Diwali, Ayodhya glowed not just with the warmth of tradition but with a profound sense of fulfilment as over 2.5 million diyas lit up the banks of the Saryu, entering the Guinness World Records in the first ‘Deepotsav’ since the consecration of the long-awaited Ram Temple. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s ceremonial lighting of the first lamps, the laser and drone shows bringing scenes from the Ramayana to life, and cultural showcases from across Asia made the event an awe-inspiring fusion of history, faith and nationalism.


Yet, this Diwali celebration in Ayodhya is more than a grand event; it symbolizes a 500-year wait and struggle, one that tested the resilience of millions who held fast to their beliefs despite decades of legal and ideological hurdles. Amid all the bitter legal and communal wrangling since the demolition of the Bari Mosque in 1992, the historical evidence, from as early as the 16th century, indubitably points to Hindu devotion at the site where generations gathered with unwavering faith even when the Babri Masjid had stood in place of a temple. Notably, historians like Meenakshi Jain and archaeologist K.K. Muhammad have documented the sacred significance of the site to Hindus over the centuries, countering narratives that aimed to dilute the importance of the Ram Janmabhoomi.


As legal battles raged on, the case became entangled in a web of political, ideological, and scholarly contentions.


Leftist scholars in India and their counterparts in the West have sought to reframe the temple’s significance, even proposing the provocative thesis that temple destruction was a widespread “established practice” among pre-Turkic Hindus themselves. This narrative, which has drawn both criticism and controversy, has done little to weaken the Hindu resolve. Rather, it only sharpened the symbolic struggle for Ram’s birthplace — a struggle that transcended legal battles and reached into the hearts of millions.


This year, Diwali at Ayodhya reverberates not only as a religious festival but as a victory against a backdrop of scepticism and suppression. Prime Minister Modi spoke to the historical importance of this moment, celebrating it as a homecoming not after 14 years of exile, as in the Ramayana, but after five centuries of waiting. For Ayodhya, this Diwali represents an arrival, not just of Lord Ram to his home but of a powerful vindication of faith long delayed. As the diyas flicker in the evening breeze, they reflect the hopes and aspirations of a community that has long yearned for recognition and reverence.


Ayodhya’s glow this year is a testament to the perseverance of a people who fought not for power or political advantage, but for recognition of a heritage they refused to let slip into obscurity. In their eyes, this Diwali symbolizes not merely the lighting of lamps but the long-awaited dawn after a historical darkness.

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