Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Aug 5: Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday declared support for protesting students in Jharkhand, stating the youth movement will operate as a “pressure group” to demand institutional accountability.
Talking to reporters ahead of the CJP’s core team meeting in his hometown Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra, Dipke said the CJP members will travel to Jharkhand to back job aspirants, who have been staging an indefinite sit-in at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi since July 29.
“People have lost faith in the judiciary, politics, media and the Election Commission. Our agitation received nationwide support. As the agitation grew, the support was not merely limited to education issues; it was also about these institutions. Hence, to bring accountability in these institutions, there is a need for a public pressure group,” Dipke said.
A large number of job aspirants have been staging a protest in Ranchi, demanding that the alleged irregularities in the JPSC and other recruitment examinations be investigated by an independent panel of retired HC judges from outside Jharkhand.
Asked whether he will support the protest in Jharkhand, Dipke said, “We will definitely go to Jharkhand, we will stand with them and support their every demand in the agitation.”
On whether the CJP will enter politics, Dipke said the media seemed more excited than the outfit.
The condition of political parties is “very bad”. People vote for one side in the morning, but by evening a government is formed by someone else, he quipped.
“For now, CJP will be a pressure group, as what India needs now is a pressure group,” Dipke asserted.
On the CJP’s core team meeting, Dipke said, “The agitation at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi drew a nationwide response. The responsibility on us has increased, and people’s expectations from us have grown. In this meeting, we will decide how the organisation should grow and also outline a rough road map for the future.”
He said the meeting will focus on the dwindling trust of people in institutions like the media and judiciary and also take up issues like ethanol-blended fuel and rising unemployment.
Dipke was seen serving tea not only to visitors, but also to police personnel deployed for security.
During the CJP meeting, he continued to meet visitors and arranged tea for everyone before personally distributing it.
CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said environmentalist and education activist Sonam Wangchuk will continue to be their mentor, and they will seek advice from him.
Das added they will push for withdrawal of FIRs against students who took part in the recent protests led by the CJP against the NEET paper leak and other exam irregularities.
“We are talking with government representatives on this issue,” he said, adding that the CJP is working to provide legal and medical assistance to protesters injured in the recent students’ agitations across India.
The CJP core team later commenced its meeting which will continue on Thursday as well. “We will inform about the decisions by tomorrow,” Dipke said.
Apart from Dipke and Das, CJP representatives Ashutosh Ranka, Ratna Singh and others are attending the meeting.
Meanwhile, Das claimed on X that certain YouTubers and media channels have broken into his house in New Delhi and were showing visuals from inside.
“It’s not just an invasion of my privacy but also a grave security threat for me and my family. If anti-social elements attack me at my residence as a result of this, these YouTubers and their troll handlers who are coordinating this will be directly responsible!” he stated, tagging Delhi Police.
Reacting to the claim, CJP representative Ranka said the incident at Das’s residence is a part of a classic playbook where “they try to crush and suppress the agitation”.
“Some people tried to enter Das’s house and invade the privacy of his family. The man (Abhijit Iyer Mitra) runs his shop by spreading fake things, and misinformation was spread about his house; fake allegations were made on Saurabh Das in a podcast recently.
“This is why many YouTubers and influencers reached the residence of Saurav Das today. Some of them tried to enter the house and tried to invade the privacy and breach the privacy of Saurabh’s family,” Ranka alleged.
He claimed Das’s family members were present in the house when the incident occurred.
‘There were members present inside the house when the event happened. But we are not afraid of them. This is their classic playbook where they try to crush and suppress the agitation. Later, they speak baseless things about us and also try to spread violence. Dipke was also attacked, and ink was thrown on him,” Ranka said.
He alleged that people are now sent to Das’s house to harass him.
“A campaign is being run to spread hatred. All we want to say is that they should fall in line because the nation has seen your reality. Work on the right issues. If they are still using their energy to spread fake things and violence, then they will lose the remaining respect.
”Saurav Das is very much here, and he is very much concerned about his family and their security. He is disturbed after what happened in the morning. But such incidents will increase the anger in the people of the country,” Ranka added.
He alleged (media commentator) Abhijeet Iyer Mitra enjoys provoking people and spreading misinformation.
“We want to tell him that such things will be tolerated to a limit. If such fake allegations are made against us without proof, the next meet will be in the court,” he added.
Ratna Singh said a complaint had been lodged against Iyer Mitra earlier with Delhi Police.
”Abhijeet Iyer Mitra is the same person who sent a youth to the agitation site (Jantar Mantar) whose name is said to be Mayank, who gave statements which could have led to a tense situation. When the right-wing people tried to find out this boy, Mitra told them that the boy was his junior, and tried to save him.”
She demanded that police act on the complaint and register a case against the youth and Iyer Mitra.
Ranka demanded registration of a case against Mitra under UAPA and under relevant sections for sending Mayank and provoking him to raise anti-national slogans. Our spokespersons are being harassed by spreading misinformation, he alleged.
“We don’t know why the police are sleeping on this complaint?’ he asked.
Reacting to a query on Punjab Police’s statement about an alleged terror module spreading violence at Jantar Mantar earlier, Ranka said the Union Home Minister and agencies should clarify.
”If they (terrorists) reached Jantar Mantar, then it is a big failure of security agencies. If such people are reaching Central Delhi where a peaceful protest was going on, then it’s a failure of intelligence,” he added. (PTI)
