The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Wednesday announced plans to launch a fresh protest, with founder Abhijeet Dipke describing it as “Season 2 of Jantar Mantar”. The announcement followed the last-minute cancellation of a CJP volunteers’ meeting in Delhi’s Naraina. Dipke alleged that the banquet hall owner withdrew permission to host the meeting because of “pressure” from the ruling BJP.
Speaking at a public gathering, Dipke said the party had been receiving social media messages asking when the second phase of its Jantar Mantar protest would begin.
“Many people were commenting on Instagram about when Season 2 of ‘Jantar-Mantar’ will begin. I want to tell them that Season 2 of ‘Jantar-Mantar’ is going to start very soon,” he said.
CJP ALLEGES PRESSURE ON VENUE OWNERS
Dipke said the party had reserved a hall for a volunteers’ meeting but was denied entry when organisers arrived at the venue. He claimed they were informed that the owners were facing “pressure” not to permit the gathering.
“We were scheduled to hold our volunteers’ meeting in Delhi today. We were looking for a hall, but no one would rent us one. Everyone kept saying there was pressure from above,” Dipke said.
He claimed that similar refusals had occurred at other venues in the area and alleged that people were being intimidated to prevent them from offering space for CJP meetings.
Dipke further claimed that even the venue eventually arranged for the meeting came under pressure on the morning of the event. According to him, the owners were allegedly warned of consequences if they allowed the CJP gathering to proceed.
“They were told that if they allowed the CJP meeting to take place here, they would be hung upside down,” he alleged.
'THEY ARE AFRAID OF COUNTRY'S YOUTH'
The CJP founder accused the BJP of applying the alleged pressure and maintained that such actions would not stop the party from pursuing its activities.
“All of this is being done by the BJP. Their actions and words clearly reveal that they are afraid of the country's youth. If they think such petty actions will frighten us, they are sorely mistaken,” Dipke said.
“As much as you threaten, we are not going to be scared,” he added.
The BJP has yet to respond to the allegations.
CJP PLANS NATIONWIDE 'LISTENING TOUR'
CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said the party’s next phase of mobilisation was already underway and would feature a nationwide campaign aimed at collecting public feedback.
“On behalf of CJP, we are now embarking on a nationwide 'listening tour' to hear what the public has to say. We will run a campaign, and we are prioritising the issue of education starting from Independence Day,” Das said.
He added, “This itself is Season Two. Protests are taking place across the country against such incompetent governments and officers.”
CJP'S 36-DAY JANTAR MANTAR PROTEST
The CJP previously staged a 36-day protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak issue. The demonstration attracted students, young volunteers and opposition leaders from different parts of the country.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the protest on June 28 and began an indefinite hunger strike. He was later shifted to Safdarjung Hospital after his health deteriorated.
The protest also saw police action on July 20 after demonstrators attempted to march towards Parliament. The agitation was withdrawn on July 25 following discussions with the government and assurances regarding the protesters’ main demands.
Following the protest, the CJP announced its national team, naming Dipke as national convener as the party began working towards establishing a wider organisational structure.
