New Delhi: Come June 6, all eyes will be on the national Capital, and specifically Jantar Mantar where the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is planning a protest demanding the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the digital movement and satirical social media campaign, is scheduled to arrive in Delhi from the US that day and lead a ‘peaceful’ campaign, as claimed by CJP.
Even activist Sonam Wangchuk extended his unconditional support.
But there is a catch — its members are not seeking prior permission from police for its planned protest at Jantar Mantar. Instead, Dipke and his supporters will head to the Parliament Street police station on the morning of the protest to inform them about the protest and then proceed to Jantar Mantar.
‘Why 7-day permission needed?’
As per the rules, written permission has to be obtained from Delhi Police seven days in advance to organise a protest at Jantar Mantar. And CJP has challenged the “standard practice” of requiring advance police approval for a peaceful demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
“We are sure Delhi Police will cooperate and let us stage a protest at Jantar Mantar,” said one of CJP’s representatives at a press conference on Wednesday.
The youth-driven
movement, which seems to have become an organised activist group, has been extremely vocal against question paper leaks and systemic evaluation discrepancies in important national-level examinations.
‘New tukde-tukde gang’
That the government does not approve of the CJP was made clear by the comments of senior ministers and BJP leaders. The likes of Kiren Rijiju and Rajeev Chandrasekhar have accused the movement of being a “cross-border influence operation” aimed at destabilising the country.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh alleged that the organisation is another “tukde-tukde gang”, and is a new model of familiar, anti-national elements operating under a different name and banner.
He claimed that Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi are backing the movement to make children and the youth pawns in a broader agenda against the nation.
The official X account of CJP was blocked under “national security” guidelines. But another platform sprang up to announce that the ‘Cockroach is Back’.
Speculation on funding
Given its rapid rise, there has been intense speculation and claims about the funding and institutional backing of the online satirical platform turned protest movement.
There were reports that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Kumar Jha is one of the patrons of CJP, after he facilitated a press conference for the group at Delhi’s Constitution Club.
Jha, however, said that the group needed a space for a press conference, and he recommended it without showing any kind of support.
‘No formal political links’
The group’s leadership also sought to point out that it has no formal political links. “Our past affiliations are not important. This fight is bigger than that. CJP is bigger than an individual or any organisation,” said one of its spokespersons.
It’s highly unlikely that Delhi Police will allow the demonstration to go ahead at Jantar Mantar without necessary permission.
The CJP seems to be equally adamant and determined.
Are they being naive?