New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday openly backed the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) for the first time, hours after its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were sent to five days’ judicial custody over a protest at Jantar Mantar.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha accused the authorities of criminalising peaceful dissent and warned that the Opposition would challenge restrictions on demonstrations.
Rahul’s First CJP Endorsement
In a post on X, Gandhi said that displaying the national flag during a peaceful protest could not be treated as an offence. He framed the detention of young protesters as an attack on constitutional rights rather than a routine law-and-order action.
“Waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar in a peaceful protest is not a crime. Jailing youth for it is an act of cowardice. Students. Youth. Journalists. The INDIA bloc. Different banners, one cause. All protests are one: citizens demanding their constitutional rights,” Gandhi wrote.
He added: “Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India. We will reclaim it.”
The statement is politically significant because the Congress has so far avoided directly aligning itself with the CJP, as reported by The New Indian Express. Gandhi had, however, recently described the various agitations as part of a shared democratic struggle rather than separate movements.
Custody & Protest Case
Das and Ranka were detained early on Tuesday after allegedly crossing police barricades and entering Jantar Mantar without permission. The site had recently been denotified as a designated protest venue. Police said the two were also accused of violating peace bonds.
They were produced before a Special Executive Magistrate on Wednesday and subsequently sent to Tihar Jail for five days. Their associate, Ajinkya Shinde, was released after being directed to maintain peace for six months on a personal bond and a surety of Rs 5,000.
The protesters had been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of electoral manipulation. The CJP has described its campaign as part of a wider fight against what it calls “vote chori”.
Opposition Plans Next Phase
The judicial remand came a day after INDIA bloc leaders and civil society representatives met at Gandhi’s residence to plan the next stage of their agitation. Participants pledged to press jointly for democratic accountability and to contest the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a protest site.
Among the ideas discussed were a symbolic impeachment of the CEC at Ramlila Maidan and Metro rides by MPs to test travel restrictions. The bloc also plans to gather five lakh people for a joint rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1.
