MUMBAI: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke sharply criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the alleged deletion of 13 crore names from the electoral rolls. He warned that if the CEC is not removed, CJP and its supporters would launch Jantar Mantar 2.0, demanding the Prime Minister’s resignation.
Launching the protest on Gandhi Jayanti, Dipke said, “Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru were the soul, backbone and mind of India, and Modi cannot match their sacrifice, hard work and contribution. The protest, he said, was the first in a series planned across other states and cities such as Goa, Kolkata, Patna and Bengaluru, backed by the youth and Gen-Z, who he termed “our cadre,” if the CJP’s three demands are not met: resignation of Kumar, filing a criminal case against him and the restoration of the electoral rolls that existed before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by cancelling the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), and the cancellation of the amended Representation of the People’s Act.
Kumar and everyone sitting in a position of power should understand that Gen Z won’t remain silent. If you back-stab people of this country who pay your salaries and fund your perks, you will have to go. “I am not convinced about all the points CJP is making.
First-time protest participant, 23-year-old Meenakshi Singh, a finance student, said: “I feel if everyone collectively puts pressure on the government, Kumar will go in no time. Graphic designer Karan Aswani, 24, however said while he is sceptical of CJP’s move against the government, he joined the protest at Shivaji Park to learn more about the outfit with a first-hand look at the activists.
However, being here and listening to all of them will help me make a better judgement about them,” he said.
He should remember that he is the CM of a state which proudly showcases the legacy of Ambedkar, Savitribai Phule and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The youth are ready to go to jail for three months, forget about three days, after which we will be back on the streets.
Reacting to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s remarks that protesters may face three days in jail for illegal assembly, he said: “Does the CM think that we are his MLAs who give in to threats? Cultural affairs minister and BJP leader Ashish Shelar said the CJP’s agitation against SIR of electoral rolls was “nothing but a grammar of anarchy.”
When the Constitution was adopted in 1950, B R Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru gave every citizen the right to vote. Who is Kumar to take away that right?”
CJP convenor Ranka said: “Gyanesh Kumar is the mastermind behind the deletion of names.
