CJP's Dipke Says Will Join Jharkhand Student Protests Over Exam Irregularities
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), said on Wednesday that the organisation will travel to Jharkhand to support students protesting against alleged irregularities in state recruitment examinations. Speaking to reporters ahead of a core team meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, Mr. Dipke said the CJP would function as a “pressure group” for now, as that is what India needs at the moment.
The meeting, which began later in the day and will continue on Thursday, is expected to focus on the dwindling public trust in institutions such as the media and judiciary, along with issues like ethanol-blended fuel and rising unemployment.
Job aspirants have been holding an indefinite sit-in at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi since July 29. They are demanding that alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and other recruitment examinations be investigated by an independent panel of retired High Court judges from outside the state.
Asked about supporting the Jharkhand agitation, Mr. 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 would enter electoral politics, Mr. Dipke said the media seemed more excited about the possibility than his outfit. He argued that people have lost faith in the judiciary, politics, media, and the Election Commission of India, and that a public pressure group is needed to bring accountability to these institutions.
“The agitation received nationwide support. As it grew, the support was not limited to educational issues but also concerned these institutions. Hence, there is a need for a public pressure group,” he said.
Mr. Dipke criticised the condition of political parties, saying it is “very bad”. He noted that people vote for one side in the morning and yet a different government is formed by evening. “For now, CJP will be a pressure group, as what India needs now is a pressure group,” he asserted.
Regarding the core team meeting, Mr. Dipke said the recent agitation at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi drew a nationwide response, increasing the responsibility and expectations on the organisation. “In this meeting, we will decide how the organisation should grow and also outline a rough road map for the future,” he said.
CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das confirmed that environmentalist and education activist Sonam Wangchuk will continue as the organisation's mentor, and that they will seek his advice. Mr. Das also said the CJP will push for the withdrawal of First Information Reports (FIRs) against students who took part in recent protests led by the group over the NEET paper leak and other exam irregularities. “We are talking with government representatives on this issue,” he said.
Mr. Das added that the CJP is working to provide legal and medical assistance to protesters injured in recent student agitations across the country. CJP representatives Ashutosh Ranka, Ratna Singh, and others are attending the core team meeting.
The CJP-led protests at Jantar Mantar concluded on July 25, after thousands of student activists, joined by Mr. Wangchuk during his 26-day hunger strike, mobilised to express public anger over alleged widespread competitive examination paper leaks. Mr. Dipke returned to India from the United States in June to lead the agitation against the NEET-UG paper leak, which saw youth from different parts of the country converge in Delhi to demand reforms and the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union education minister. The movement led to Mr. Pradhan's resignation last week.
The CJP's movement spread to various cities, but some demonstrations turned violent, with police cracking down on student agitators in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bihar, and registering cases against them.
