'Dear cockroaches': Bollywood stars salute Gen Z after education minister quits

Bollywood celebrities celebrated Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as India's education minister after mass youth-led protests over examination irregularities, a major victory for the social media-driven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

Pradhan resigned on Saturday after thousands of young protesters gathered in New Delhi and other parts of India, demanding his ouster and an overhaul of the education system.

Actor Sonakshi Sinha posted a video on Instagram celebrating the development and thanking the protesting students.

She wrote: "Sorry, what I meant to say was that I'm proud of you and THANK YOU. Brb now... millennial sathiya gayi hai. 25.07.2026. What a day!!!"

Sonakshi was also seen doing sit-ups while holding her ears, a traditional gesture of apology and remorse, as she saluted Generation Z. The text on the video read: "Never again!! Salute...salute! Look at me now, I want to be you I want to be GEN Z!!!"

Actor Alia Bhatt reacted to the resignation on Instagram, writing: "Gen Z showed up! The rest is history."

Alia had also said in a statement that the students were not only representing themselves, but were the voice of all those who supported them and were paving a better path for future generations.

Actor Sara Ali Khan shared an Instagram story reading: "Democracy," along with heart, folded-hands and Indian flag emojis.

Ibrahim Ali Khan, son of Saif Ali Khan, also hailed the development on Instagram, writing: “Happy to see voices heard. It's done bro."

Ibrahim wrote the sentence in the same style in which Salman Khan had appealed to Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike, saying: "Sonam, ho gaya bro."

In another Instagram story, Ibrahim wrote: "DEMOCRACY," followed by "GENZ & THE YOUTH OF INDIA."

Senior actor Shabana Azmi described Pradhan's resignation as a major success for students and said the struggle was not over yet and the resistance should continue, according to Indian media.

Actor Prakash Raj congratulated the students and supporters of the CJP protest, writing: "Congratulations my Dear Cockroaches."

Addressing Sonam Wangchuk and those who stood by the youth, he added: "You Have proved that you can bring a regime down to its knees."

Actor Priyanka Chopra shared a post which said Pradhan had resigned after weeks of student-led protests over alleged examination irregularities, calling it a significant political development.

She also shared another post saying Pradhan had resigned "after 30 days of nationwide student protests and a gruelling 26-day hunger strike by Sonam Wangchuk," reacting with clapping, tearful eyes, sunglasses and red heart emojis.

Actor Vaani Kapoor expressed solidarity with the students on Instagram, writing: "For every student who kept pushing, kept questioning, and kept hoping..this moment is for you."

Actor Malaika Arora also marked the moment on Instagram, sharing stories that read "GEN Z" and "25.07.26" with Indian flag and flexed-biceps emojis.

Actor Ayesha Kanga shared posts linked to the protest, including one reading "Dharmendra Pradhan Resigns" and another saying: "SONAM ITS DONE BROOOOOOOO."

Actor Anjali Sivaraman also shared posts about the protest and Pradhan's resignation, including a media update saying the CJP spokesperson had said Pradhan's resignation demand had been accepted and that withdrawal of FIRs against protesters in Delhi and other BJP-ruled states had also been accepted.

Actor Tina Datta shared a video from the Kolkata protest and another post about Pradhan's resignation, writing: “What a glorious victory.”

The reactions came as CJP said all its demands had been met in another round of talks and that it was calling off protests centred on the Jantar Mantar demonstration site in New Delhi.

The protesters' demands included Pradhan's resignation, compensation for those affected by examination irregularities and the dropping of legal cases against protesters, according to CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka.

Pradhan said in a statement on X that he was pained by the events of the past 10 days and had sent his resignation letter to the prime minister.

"This is not a matter of personal prestige for me," he said.

"India's youth power is the real strength of this nation. My resolve is that we will not let the country's youth get trapped in a vicious cycle of confusion,” Pradhan added.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke told cheering protesters: "We have done it."

India's opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called Pradhan's resignation a "huge step" and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise and respect students and future generations.

Gandhi also said action should be taken against those guilty of violence against students.

Several other artists, including Shabana Akhtar and others, also reacted on social media, according to Indian media.