Actor and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Hema Malini Addressing the ongoing protests led by the Cockroach Jantar Party (CJP) near Parliament, it said the solution to the problem was dialogue, not demonstrations. The actor-politician attended the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament in New Delhi on Monday and addressed the media after the meeting.Replying to a question about the protesters’ demands, Hema told the media, “Agar kuch Problem hai toh achhi tarah se Discussion karna chahiye. Tarah se protest is karne se toh kuch kaam nahi hoga.” (If there is a problem, it should be discussed well, so protests will not solve any problem.)
“Students should not be misled”
Speaking about students’ involvement in the unrest, Hema defended the center’s work in the education sector and urged protest organizers to engage with the government rather than take to the streets.“Hamari Modi sarkar hamesha yuvaon aur education system ke saath rahi hai. Bahut kaam kiya hai uske liye. Abhi jo aap log protest kar rahe hain, iska koi matlab nahi hai. Main kahuni baat karke isko solve karna chahiye. Sarkar se baat karni chahiye,” she said.She further added, “Students are expected to solve problems. Unko barabar batana chahiye ki kya Problem hai, not unko disturb karke aur apni baat manwane ke liye unko istemal karna.” (Students should not be misled. They should have a clear understanding of the actual problem rather than being disturbed and dragged into someone else’s agenda.)
Call for Dharmendra Pradhan to resign
When asked about protesters’ demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Hema chose not to comment in detail.“Abhi is vishay mein main zyada kuch bolna nahi chahungi. Iske liye kya stand lena hai, hamari sarkar barabar Legi.” (I don’t want to comment too much on this issue right now. Whatever position needs to be taken, our government will take it. )
superior Ayodhya Ram Mandir theft case question
Hema was also asked about the alleged theft at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. In this regard, she said that strict action should be taken if any wrongdoing is discovered.“Agar jin logon ne galat kaam kiya hai, unko zaroor saza milegi. Jo bhi ho, koi bhi ho. Kaafi logon ko jail bhi bheja ja chuka hai. Hamari sarkar ekdum nyay karegi.” (If someone does something wrong, no matter who it is, they will definitely be punished. Many people have been sent to prison and our government will ensure that justice is served. )
Protests gain support from film celebrities
The protest was supported by several members of the film community. Actors Prakash Raj, Shabana Azmi and Poonam Pandey joined protesters at Jantar Mantar on Sunday. Prakash Raj shared a video from the protest site where Shabana Azmi met and encouraged the hunger strikers. Poonam Pandey told the media that the campaign was about students affected by the alleged disparity in the NEET exam and not about politics or religion.Shabana Azmi and Prakash Raj helped break the fast of students observing activist Sonam Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike on Monday morning. Several celebrities including Kiran Rao, Hrithik Roshan, Sonakshi Sinha, Imran Khan and Shatrughan Sinha also expressed solidarity with Wangchuk on social media.Meanwhile, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke ended his indefinite hunger strike on Monday at the behest of Sonam Wangchuk. Sonam Wangchuk is currently admitted to Safdarjung Hospital after fasting for 21 days on July 18. Later in the day, CJP representatives Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das met Union Health Minister JP Nadda amid the ongoing protests.