India, July 24 -- Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday expressed her support for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demonstrating against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, and described the agitation as a fight to safeguard the Constitution and democracy. Addressing the protesters at the Jantar Mantar, Mehbooba praised the youth for enduring harsh weather conditions while demanding justice and transparency in the recruitment process, saying their struggle would discourage corruption, paper leaks and other injustices. The protesters led by the CJP have been camping at the Jantar Mantar since last month demanding accountability over the NEET paper 'leak' and resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, among others.
Calling it a defining moment for the country's youth, Mehbooba alleged that the nation witnessed increasing incidents of "divide and rule" politics, exam paper leaks, corruption and crimes against women over the past several years. "This is what we have seen in the country for the last 12 years - divide and rule. Sometimes 'chanda chori' (donations theft), sometimes paper leaks, sometimes rapes. Even cows are safer than children in our country today," she said. The PDP chief also criticised the judiciary and the Centre, claiming that the concerns of the protesting students did not receive adequate attention despite their prolonged agitation.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.