4 min readJul 23, 2026 08:31 AM IST
A day after Goa BJP vice-president Narendra Sawaikar’s social media post, saying “cockroaches are with termites”, triggered a controversy, several people including students held a protest at Azad Maidan in Panaji on Wednesday.
Maithily Chumbalkar (24), who recently completed her postgraduation, said, “I am a termite. And if I am, I would try to eat up the government’s fortress of corrupt power. There is authoritarianism to such a level…that leaders are calling the youth ‘termites’ and filing FIRs…just for speaking up.”
“The students are frustrated with NEET cancellation and paper leaks. And this frustration had been simmering for a long time due to a failure of the system. People are demanding accountability, and the government is dismissing their voice by using these insults,” she said.
In a post on X on Monday night, Sawaikar said, “Cockroaches with the termites! Save the nation!” His post drew criticism from the Opposition parties, who demanded an apology from the BJP leader for using “disgraceful and dehumanising language”. Sawaikar, however, said there was “no reference to anyone”.
On Monday evening, hundreds of protesters had gathered near the Miramar circle and held a candle-light solidarity march to Azad Maidan against the backdrop of protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Delhi. Goa Police on Tuesday night lodged an FIR against the “unknown supporters” of CJP and “protesters” for alleged unlawful assembly and for organising the protest “without obtaining prior permission” from the state authorities.
Solidarity amid worry
“The students were there just to express solidarity with activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is on a hunger strike. Why is the state lodging FIRs for a peaceful protest?” asked Chumbalkar.
Muskan Shaikh, a 20-year-old college student, was at the Azad Maidan protest on Monday. “I am fine with being labelled a ‘termite’…if me being a ‘termite’ will lead to some accountability from the government in power. More than 20 students have died by suicide [due to NEET cancellation]. The Education Minister [Dharmendra Pradhan] needs to take responsibility,” she said.
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“Of course, I am scared. I am 20. To come here to the protest today, I had to fight with my family, and when I saw a lot of policemen here, armed with lathis, I was reluctant. I felt the same thing that happened at Jantar Mantar in Delhi would occur. But as a student, if I don’t speak up now, who will?” she asked.
Another student, Namrata Nainan, was at the protest site in Delhi on Monday, when the police lathi-charged protesters. At the protest in Panaji on Wednesday, she said, “I am here to express solidarity with all students who have been let down by the system. I returned from Delhi on Monday night, where I saw how the police lathi-charged some students. So, I am quite nervous. They earlier referred to the youth as ‘cockroaches’ and a whole party and movement has come out of it. It seems they have not learned from that.”
Anand Nainan, an 18-year-old student in Goa, said, “It is very authoritarian and dictatorial on the part of politicians to label protesters and youth as ‘termites’. They are trying to delegitimise these protests, especially when they refuse to have a dialogue. It is very concerning that a lot of policemen are here. And they are carrying lathis. I am a little worried.”