Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), on Thursday launched a fresh verbal attack on the Union government, alleging that the order to use force against students protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on July 20’s ‘Sansad Chalo’ march could only have come from Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Backing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s demand for the resignation of Home Minister Shah, Dipke claimed that the latter must be held accountable for the police action against Jantar Mantar demonstrators.
Dipke made the remarks while addressing the media at his hometown in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where he had returned from the month-long anti-paper leak agitation. He alleged that India’s democratic institutions were under strain and accused the central probe agencies of being misused for political gains.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke
He called for broader public participation, adding that safeguarding democracy was no longer solely the responsibility of the Opposition parties, but required collective action from the commoners.
Continuing his statements, Dipke opined that agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had been used to weaken Opposition parties, including the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He claimed institutions entrusted with protecting democracy had failed to prevent what he termed ‘increasing centralisation’ of power.
“Shah must resign”: Dipke
Reiterating his demand for accountability, Dipke alleged that if claims suggesting that the CJP was being funded or was being controlled from abroad were true, it would itself reflect a failure on the part of Home Minister Shah.
Thereafter, he asserted that the decision to use force against protestors on July 20 must have originated from Amit Shah, while maintaining that the Minister must resign over the police crackdown.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah
Dipke slams appointment of new education minister
Dipke then took exception to the appointment of Pralhad Joshi as the new Union Education Minister after Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down from his post. He questioned the government’s choice and alleged that the appointment sent the wrong message at a time when the country was seeking greater accountability in the education sector. He also criticised the Centre’s broader political conduct, making allegations regarding its support for people facing serious criminal convictions.
Hits back at Baba Ramdev’s remarks on Gen-Z
Responding to Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s criticism that Generation Z had tarnished India’s culture by means of the anti-paper leak protests, Dipke defended the movement, saying that demonstrators had exercised their constitutional right to protest peacefully.
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev
He said the agitation advanced legally, with protestors carrying pictures of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr BR Ambedkar as symbols of non-violent resistance. The US-returned CJP founder then advised Ramdev to focus on Patanjali, referring to earlier adverse observations made by the Supreme Court concerning the company.