Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the online satirical outfit Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Thursday unveiled a nationwide public outreach campaign titled ‘Kya Bolti Public,’ which is aimed at engaging directly with citizens to get a hang of their concerns and shape the party’s agenda regarding issues affecting routine life. 

Raising the curtains on the campaign, Dipke said education would be the first major issue taken up under the initiative, contending that rising cost of schooling, higher education and coaching institutes has placed quality education beyond the reach of middle-class Indian families, which are high in number across the country. 

He maintained that the campaign would seek public feedback from across the country while shedding light on the challenges faced by middle and lower income households in accessing affordable education. 

“Education has turned unaffordable”: Dipke

Expressing concern over the rising financial burden on parents, Dipke alleged that education in India has turned into an expensive affair. He said, “Education reform will be our first issue that we are going to take up. We believe education has become unaffordable in the country. Annual fees are in the range of ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh for Class 1, over and above the donation money.” 

He raised questions over how families with modest incomes are expected to meet such expenses, remarking, “From where do families who do not have that much income arrange this money?”

He argued that the growing cost of education was widening inequality and preventing many children from accessing quality learning opportunities. 

Dipke voices concerns over rising college, coaching fees

Dipke also criticised the increasing fees charged by colleges and private coaching institutes, claiming that many families are being compelled to take loans to finance their children’s education. 

He asserted, “College fees and coaching fees are also becoming too high, bringing families under the burden of loans. We want to free families from this. Parents should not feel burdened if they want to provide higher education to their children.” Furthermore, he claimed that ensuring affordable education should be a priority, as financial constraints should not determine the academic future of the students. 

Dipke invokes Ambedkar’s vision on Right to Education

Towards the end, Dipke referred to the vision of Dr BR Ambedkar, stressing that education should remain a fundamental right rather than a commercial enterprise. 

He said, “It is a fundamental right, according to Dr B R Ambedkar, but in the last few years, it has become as though education is a fundamental business to generate business.” 

Sources said the ‘Kya Bolti Public’ campaign is expected to serve as the CJP’s nationwide outreach programme, with party leaders engaging citizens across different regions to gather feedback on pressing public issues. The initiative, which shall begin with education, seeks to identify concerns affecting ordinary people and build policy proposals based on grassroots interactions.