New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has clarified that his organisation has nothing to do with the “regime change” narrative, and is only protesting for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
“We are not saying we want to change the government… or we want to do something with it. We are simply saying that the Chief Election Commissioner who is rigging elections, who is not listening to his fellow Election Commissioners and who is not listening to the Supreme Court should be removed and a new Election Commissioner should be appointed in an independent and unbiased manner,” Dipke said.
Hours earlier, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan had described the agitation against Kumar as a “fight for regime change”, prompting the BJP to intensify its attack on the Opposition and the protest movement.
The BJP has also struck out at AISA leader Neha Bora over her earlier remarks expressing inspiration from Bangladesh’s Gen-Z movement, which led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari, on Thursday, accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his “entire ecosystem” of seeking “Bangladesh-like anarchy” to bring about regime change and capture power at the Centre.
Bhandari cited Bora’s remarks and alleged that the agitation was not about democratic resistance but an attempt to create unrest and change the government.
The CJP’s demand was, however, confined to accountability within the Election Commission, Dipke maintained.
“What are we asking for? We are just asking for accountability,” he said, alleging that Kumar had made changes to Form 6 without the Supreme Court’s approval and that the other two Election Commissioners had expressed disagreement with decisions taken. Dipke cited these allegations as grounds for demanding the CEC’s removal.
“Is asking for this much in a democracy now a sin or a crime?” he asked.
He also criticised the restrictions imposed ahead of CJP’s proposed ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ programme at Connaught Place on Friday, questioning the closure of Central Park and the extensive security deployment.
The authorities had restricted movement during the October 10 protest by shutting Metro stations and imposing other curbs, he said. He questioned why Central Park was being closed after CJP announced its plan to gather there with the national flag.
“Is waving the Tricolour now a crime in India?” Dipke asked, accusing the government of being apprehensive about the protest and questioning the scale of the security arrangements.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday declined to stop the CJP demonstration scheduled for October 16 at Connaught Place. It recorded the Delhi Police’s assurance that all lawful measures would be taken to regulate the protest and maintain public order, as reported by The Tribune.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), meanwhile, announced that Central Park would remain closed to the public on October 16 and 17.
The competing narratives have opened a fresh political fault line in the agitation. While Bhushan’s “regime change” description and Bora’s Bangladesh reference have given the BJP grounds to portray the protests as an attempt to destabilise the elected government, Dipke is emphasising what he describes as a narrower institutional demand – the removal of the CEC.
The Delhi Police has warned participants against violating restrictions and said any demonstration must comply with rules governing the national flag and the national anthem.
