Protest by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) Protest : Long & short term steps necessary

It refers to protest by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar (New Delhi) subsequently shifted first outside Parliament House and then outside Sewa Tirth (Pradhan Mantri Residence) on 21.07.2026. Media Reports including on social media indicate that divided opposition has got itself “employed” against national interest in infiltrating the protest initially started by students of a particular ideology with getting Sonam Wangchuk.

If resignation of concerned minister is solution to the problem, then perhaps practically ultimately one by one all the ministers will have to resign in a country having population of more than 140 crore persons. Undoubtedly paper-leak is a very big problem for affected students, and precautionary steps need to be taken to stop the menace. So called students’ agitation on the matter is being fuelled with active role of several foreign-funded Non-Government-Organisations (NGOs) and political leaders with really affected students being mute spectator to all such happenings. These elements are present ever where in such situations like so-termed Farmers’ Agitation.

With so many police-men injured including senior ones Special Commission, Joint Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and assistant Commissioner of Delhi Police badly injured and many police-vehicles broken and pubic-property damaged, it has become necessary to take some harsh steps against the hooligans to maintain morale of police-force.

It was in past when India had a very small population as compared to present, that the then Railway Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned from his post following a rail-accident.  But that cannot be possible with country’s population having risen manifolds.

It is beyond understanding why and how Central Government is giving so much importance to the issue when liberal approach of Central Government in sending the minister and other senior ones to opposition leaders to find some solution was later turned down by the senior opposition leaders. It is time to take some strong steps by the central government to ensure proper governance and smooth running of Parliament.

What India needs a politics of cordiality amongst ruling party and main opposition party like was in days when PV Narsimharao was Prime Minister and Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Opposition Leader. It may be recalled that the then Prime Minister PV Narsimharao trusted the ever trustworthy Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was at that time Leader of opposition (LoP) to go to Geneva in 1994 to lead the Indian delegation at the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) meeting, perhaps only occasion in the history of Universe.

Sometimes change of name also results in tackling the problems. For example, Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi has become an institution to carry on anti-national activities by students of a particular ideology who continue to enjoy almost free-of-cost facility of boarding and lodging in the capital city of India without any aim to take study seriously. Same is situation at Aligarh Muslim University at Aligarh (UP). Both these Universities need name-change like Dr Sarvpalli Radhakrishnan University and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam University respectively.

What India needs is drastic and important poll-reforms to achieve the goal that trough an ordinance without waiting for some never to-be-achieved political consensus. Simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state-assemblies should be three-tier with elections to municipal bodies also included in the ideal system. Elections to posts of President and the Vice President may be held simultaneously by all MPs and MLAs in the manner President is elected but through EVMs equipped with VVPAT on nominations signed by at least 34-percent MPs to ensure direct elections. In case of vacancy caused at post of President, Vice President may be made President for rest of the term. But in case of vacancy caused at post of Vice President, an interim Vice President may be elected by MPs only for rest of the term. However, in case both regularly elected President and Vice President may not be on post, fresh simultaneous elections for both the posts should be held without waiting for five-years period.

Prime Minister/Chief Ministers with Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the lower Houses should be elected through secret and compulsory vote of members of the Lower Houses through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) equipped with VVPAT on nominations signed by at least 34-percent members. Such an elected Prime Minister/Chief Minister may be removed by same process but with compulsion of naming alternate leader in the same motion. Members not opting to vote may lose voting-right in the House even though retaining membership of the House. Without adopting such a system, aspect “One-Nation One-Election” can never be a dream-cum-true because of mid-term elections caused due to hung Lok Sabha/state-assembly or fall of governments in between. Even present Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, Speakers and Deputy Speakers may be re-elected on lines suggested here-above. Since a person cannot represent two constituencies or become member of both Parliament and state-assembly, no person should be allowed to contest from more than one constituency or for both Parliament and state-assembly. A sitting MP or MLA should resign first from his/her earlier seat before filing nomination for the other seat. Membership of a Parliamentarian must be auto-terminated on taking oath in a state as minister (or Chief Minister) and vice-versa to prevent situation like Atal Bihari Vajpayee government falling due to single controversial vote of the then Odisha Chief Minister Girdhar Gomango who did not resign from Lok Sabha even becomin Odisha Chief Minister. 

Secret voting for Rajya Sabha elections should be restored but through EVMs equipped with VVPAT system with simultaneous elections for full time and part time members. Persons getting more votes should be declared elected for full terms, and those with successive less votes may be declared elected for part terms. Constitution should be amended to abolish useless provision of Legislative Councils which is practically for political assignment to favourites and relations of political leaders. Only those not having contested any election in life should be appointed nominated members of Rajya Sabha. No MP or MLA should retain any type of post in their party or even in society. Ministerial-strength should be reduced for 10-percent of strength of lower House. Post of Parliamentary Secretaries should be abolished.

Security-losing persons should be barred from contesting elections for next six years. ‘None-of-the-above’ (NOTA) option should be made practically useful. All candidates getting votes less than ‘NOTA’ may be barred from contesting any future election even though in case NOTA winning in any constituency, next to NOTA may be declared elected but only for that term. Thereafter he may lose right to contest any election in life-time.

There must be at least some minimum educational qualification to contest any elections. Best is to constitute an “Indian Political Service” on lines of “Indian Administrative Service (IAS)”. It is ridiculous that so well-educated officers from IAS and allied services are at times ruled by uneducated political leaders. System will automatically abolish faulty practice of family-politics where politicians often misuse politics like some family-business rather than a tool for service to the people. Case of George Fernandez elected to Rajya Sabha despite having lost all his memory, even calls for medical-fitness certificates before allowing contesting elections.

Absconding Parliamentarian from court-summons/warrants if present at Sansad Bhawan even for attending the session, should not be allowed to leave Sansad Bhawan till police-authorities reach for execution of warrants. Parliamentarians and legislatures with attendance less than say 75-percent in the House should not be allowed to contest any elections for next six years. Immunity to elected representatives should be withdrawn even from legislative proceedings because in the infamous JMM-bribery case even the Apex Court expressed its inability to act against guilty ones because their bribed act to vote for Narsimharao-government was considered to be immunised being under Parliamentary proceedings. Rules of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha should be re-written in a stringent manner by encoding fixed punishments for Parliamentarians for not following rules and norms, snatching discretionary powers of Chairpersons and Parliamentary committees. Lok Sabha mildly punished its member Rajesh Manjhi taking his lady-friend as his wife on foreign-trip at government-expense by just barring him from few sittings of Lok Sabha even though such an act was not even immunised under Parliamentary proceedings.

Parliamentarians should be required to compulsory fill all their particulars in their bio-data including details of their assets, name of spouse/s etc to be put on public domain of websites of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. This can check several malpractices like hiding name of additional (more than one spouse) like was done by Dharmendra when he did not disclose name of Hema Malini also as his wife.

Rule should be to make all deductions of government-dues like of water, electricity, telephone, rent or any other from salary/perks/pensions etc payable to them. Pensions should be hold till former Parliamentarians/Ministers do not vacate government-accommodations. Defaulters should be barred from contesting any next elections till all dues are cleared against them, and non-entitled government-accommodations are vacatedEither the Prime Minister or political party sponsoring that Prime Minister may deposit advance-money for use of IAF aircrafts for non-official use.

Since political parties are not complying with CIC-verdict bringing these under purview of RTI Act, all direct/indirect government-funding including tax-exemptions, subsidized land or leased government-accommodations, free voters’ list and free Doordarshan/ Radio timings etc should be abolished. Political parties not having contested any election in last five years should be de-recognised. Sections 13A, 80GGB and 80GGC of Income Tax Act on contributions received-by and made-to political parties should be totally abolished to prevent whitening of black money by political parties getting themselves registered but not contesting elections. Live TV-debates between prominent leaders and Prime-Ministerial/Chief-Ministerial candidates should replace mega-budgeted rallies and road-shows which should be rather banned. Corruption-generating MPLADS should be abolished. Pensions to MPs and MLAs have no logic when it has been done away with government-servants. Persons with more than two children should not be allowed to contest elections. To avoid life-long ambitions of politicians to remain in power, there may be an upper age-limit of say 65 years to contest direct elections. Experienced persons if needed in the ministry can be elected as Rajya Sabha members. Retired judges of Supreme Court and High Courts must not be given post-retirement assignments or allowed to be in politics for two years after their retirement from judiciary, or else they may lose all their post-retirement benefits or appointment as arbitrators.