Suresh Oberoi Questions Bollywood Support For CJP Protest

• Suresh Oberoi has questioned Bollywood celebrities who publicly supported the Cockroach Janta Party’s CJP protest over alleged examination irregularities.
• In a podcast with Nidhi Vasandani, Oberoi said public figures should research an issue before taking a public position.
• He also questioned claims surrounding the protesters, funding and alleged foreign involvement, but did not provide evidence for those allegations.
• Shabana Azmi and Prakash Raj joined protesters at Jantar Mantar, while Sonakshi Sinha and other celebrities expressed support for the agitation.
• The US Embassy’s July 17 demonstration alert warned Americans about expected crowds and disruptions in central Delhi; the alert itself did not establish any foreign role in organising the CJP protest.
• Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as education minister on July 25 amid the nationwide protests, after which the CJP said its principal demand had been met.

Veteran actor Suresh Oberoi has questioned Bollywood celebrities who supported the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in Delhi, arguing that public figures should understand the facts surrounding an issue before publicly endorsing a movement.

Speaking to Nidhi Vasandani on her podcast, Oberoi said celebrities carry particular responsibility because their opinions can influence large audiences. He said he would rather acknowledge that he did not know enough about an issue than comment without first understanding who was organising a protest and who was participating in it.

Oberoi also questioned whether everyone taking part in the Jantar Mantar agitation was a NEET student, while referring to the presence of politicians and allegations of disorder during the demonstrations. He criticised protesters who allegedly attacked police personnel and said grievances should be raised through established, non-violent means.

The actor went further by questioning the source of funding for the movement and referring to claims he had heard about foreign involvement. Those claims were presented by Oberoi as things he had heard or read; he did not provide evidence establishing that foreign organisations or individuals financed or directed the CJP protests.

What the CJP protest was about

The CJP emerged as a prominent youth-led movement around complaints concerning examination and recruitment systems. Its demonstrations at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar focused on alleged irregularities involving national examinations, including NEET, and demanded the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The movement drew students, parents and young professionals to its demonstrations.

The campaign also attracted support from members of the film industry. Shabana Azmi visited the Jantar Mantar protest and later joined the proposed march toward Parliament, saying protesters had a constitutional right to demonstrate peacefully. Prakash Raj also joined the protest and publicly expressed solidarity with the demonstrators.

Sonakshi Sinha was among the celebrities who publicly supported the protesters. After the July 20 confrontation between demonstrators and police, she criticised the use of force against protesters in a social-media post. Other entertainment figures, including Sonu Sood, Vir Das, Dia Mirza, Soha Ali Khan, Aditi Rao Hydari, Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh, were also reported to have expressed support for the agitation.

US Embassy advisory and foreign-involvement claims

One point cited in discussions about the protests was a July 17 demonstration alert issued by the US Embassy in New Delhi. The advisory warned American citizens about expected large crowds and possible disruptions around areas including Jantar Mantar and Parliament House on July 20 and Kisan Ghat on July 21.

The timing of the advisory subsequently became the basis for speculation about whether the United States had advance knowledge of the CJP mobilisation. However, the available reporting does not establish that the embassy organised, financed or directed the protests. Fact-checking of the claims noted that the advisory did not identify the CJP and was consistent with a warning about anticipated public gatherings and traffic disruption.

Oberoi’s comments therefore raise questions about celebrity responsibility and the need for public figures to verify claims before endorsing political or social movements, but his references to foreign involvement and protest funding remain allegations rather than established facts.

Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation

The controversy surrounding the CJP protests culminated in the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union education minister on July 25. Pradhan submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing the interests of students and the country in his explanation. The President subsequently accepted the resignation, and Pralhad Joshi was given the education portfolio.

The CJP had made Pradhan’s removal a central demand and said his resignation fulfilled that demand. Reporting on the negotiations also indicated that the government and protest leaders had discussed other demands, including issues concerning protesters and families affected by examination-related deaths.

Oberoi’s criticism comes after that political development and places renewed attention on the role of celebrities in public movements. His position is that actors should not automatically become activists on issues they have not independently examined, while supporters of the CJP agitation have argued that public figures can use their platforms to amplify concerns raised by students.

Oberoi, who has worked in Hindi cinema for decades, was most recently seen in Azad Bharath, released in January 2026. His other recent film credits include Animal, released in 2023.