The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday dismissed as “misleading” a viral post on X that claimed its spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, had ruled out any foreign funding behind the youth protests led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in Delhi.
The clarification came after the viral post alleged that Jaiswal had said: “I have been asked about the funding of the CJP protest many a time. I want to say that our intelligence & investigation reveals there is no Foreign funding in it.”
Responding to the claim, the MEA’s Fact Check Unit said in a post on X, “The post is misleading and misrepresents the statement of the Spokesperson.”
The Ministry also shared Jaiswal’s actual response from its biweekly media briefing held on Friday.
“Madhu, regarding the point you raised about allegations of foreign funding and other such claims in connection with the ongoing protests, I would like to say that I do not have any information on this matter to share with you at this time,” the spokesperson had said.
The MEA clarified that the viral post falsely attributed remarks to its spokesperson that were never made. It reiterated that the Ministry’s official response was limited to stating that it had no information to share on the matter at the time.
Dharmendra Pradhan’s Resignation
The clarification comes a day after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following a 37-day-long agitation over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and examination-related controversies.
What began as a satirical social media account inspired by remarks made by CJI Surya Kant eventually transformed into a nationwide youth movement. The Cockroach Janata Party later withdrew its protest from Jantar Mantar after the government assured it that its key demands would be addressed.
The movement gathered further momentum when Ladakh-based activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the agitation, emerging as one of its leading faces through his 26-day hunger strike.
The protests reached their peak on July 20 during the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march, which was met with police action against demonstrators. The crackdown drew sharp criticism from Opposition parties, while Delhi Police maintained that the protest had turned violent.
Following the July 20 march, demonstrations spread across the country, increasing pressure on the Centre. Several Opposition leaders joined the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar, including Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav, senior CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, CPI MP P. Sandosh Kumar, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad.
Amid mounting pressure from the CJP-led agitation and sustained nationwide protests, Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down as Union Education Minister over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and related examination controversies.