All well at home? BJP leaders' children come out in support of students, netizens enjoy the 'show'

Even though the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) 36-day student agitation ended with the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the movement continued to reverberate within the ruling BJP, with the daughters of party leaders finding themselves at the centre of public debate over their perceived support for the protesters.

In Odisha, screenshots of Instagram posts attributed to Archita Sachin Rahar, daughter of BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi, circulated widely on social media following Pradhan's resignation.

One purported post featured a photograph of Pradhan with the caption "Jai Hind" after his resignation. Another claimed she would not delete an earlier Instagram story despite alleged pressure.

According to screenshots shared online, one post read, "For DP's (Dharmendra Pradhan's) PA, who will probably ask my mother to tell me to delete my previous story—as has happened before—don't bother. I won't delete it. Jai Jagannath! Jai Hind!"

Another post purportedly said, "My family stands with DP, but I stand with the students."

However, the authenticity of the posts could not be independently verified. Archita's Instagram account was not accessible on Sunday, and it remains unclear whether it was deleted, deactivated or made private. Neither Archita nor Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi has publicly commented on the controversy.

In a separate development, Dibisa Mahanta, daughter of Assam Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), an NDA ally, participated in a protest in Guwahati on 23 July against the alleged NEET paper leak and examination irregularities.

Videos circulating on social media appeared to show her participating in demonstrations where slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi were raised and Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation was demanded. PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.

Responding to the controversy on Saturday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Keshab Mahanta should not be criticised for his daughter's actions.

"I don't think Keshab Mahanta should be trolled because of his daughter's participation. She may have political views different from her father's. Tomorrow, when my son becomes a lawyer, he may defend someone whom I do not like," Sarma said.

Keshab Mahanta has not issued any public statement on the matter.

Earlier during the agitation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's daughter, Divija Fadnavis, had also expressed support for students' concerns over examination reforms. While backing the right to peaceful protest, she had appealed for non-violence and urged young people to understand the facts before supporting any movement or social media campaign.

The CJP ended its month-long agitation on Saturday after the Centre accepted its key demands, including Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, withdrawal of FIRs against protesters and compensation for families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide following the examination controversy.