Tamil Nadu withdraws order to stop students from joining Left-wing and CJP protests

The Tamil Nadu Department of Collegiate Education rescinded a directive it had given to the School Education, Higher Education, Police, and district administration departments. Initially, the order instructed these agencies to collaborate and ensure students and youth did not join protests led by Left-wing parties and Tamil Nadu's wing of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

The directorate had previously urged the departments to take necessary coordinated action to prevent student participation in such events and to submit reports on their actions. On Tuesday, Cynthia Selvi P, the Joint Director of Collegiate Education, announced the withdrawal of the earlier communication. The order targeted principals of all Government Arts and Science Colleges in Tamil Nadu.

The Collegiate Education Department is under the Chief Minister, C Joseph Vijay. The initial order asked departments to coordinate and take joint action to stop students and youth from participating in protests organized by Left parties and Tamil Nadu's Cockroach Janata Party. The TNCJP, a faction of CJP in Tamil Nadu, boasts over 2,600 members spread across 38 districts and 234 constituencies.

Their official website describes them as fighting for the rights of Tamil Nadu's working class, farmers, youth, and marginalized communities, criticizing the political system for favoring big corporations and elites while ignoring ordinary people. CJP claims to represent a genuine, fearless, and uncompromising voice for common people.

The party is active in several states, including Delhi, Karnataka, Telangana, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Maharashtra. CJP has faced criticism from other state governments, with allegations of threats and pressure from the BJP during a planned meet-up in Kolkata.