Actor and filmmaker Prakash Raj joined the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in Bengaluru along with climate activist and education reform advocate Sonam Wangchuk and CJP founder Abhijit Dipke. Addressing protesters at Freedom Park, Prakash Raj said labels such as “Pakistanis” or “terrorists” would not deter activists speaking out on public issues.

‘You Can Call Us Pakistanis’: Prakash Raj

Addressing protesters with Abhijit Dipke and Sonam Wangchuk by his side, the actor criticised attempts to discredit activists and dissenters through labels. “They aren’t afraid if you call them urban nationalists, they aren’t afraid if you call them Pakistanis. They aren’t afraid if you call them terrorists. They aren’t afraid if you call them cockroaches. These soldiers have lived longer than dinosaurs. I wish our educated Prime Minister understood us,” he said.

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In another video from the event, Raj urged elected representatives to focus on governance rather than politics.

“The elected leaders should do their jobs. Why have you changed the equation? You are doing politics, we are supposed to do jobs. No! The youth of this country has decided to fight its own fight,” he said.

‘The Youth Of India Is Dalit’

In yet another video from the protest site, he said that the country's youth had become increasingly vocal about issues affecting their future.

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“The youth of this country is Dalit. Uncles and aunties, you are ruling this country after retirement age. Go away. We, the youngsters, are fighting for our future. These youngsters are fighting for their dreams,” he said.

CJP - a political movement that stemmed from the remarks made by CJI Surya Kant about youth and activists - has expanded into on-ground protests across several cities.

After organising its first peaceful protest in Delhi, the group held similar protests in Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Participants have been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged failures in the examination system, including paper leaks, result discrepancies and marking controversies in major entrance exams such as NEET and CUET.

The group has announced its next protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 20.