CJP chief recalls frustration during Sansad Chalo march

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder and convenor Abhijeet Dipke has recalled how he became frustrated with party spokespersons Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka during the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march on July 20.

Speaking to the BBC, Dipke said he was on the third day of a hunger strike when the two party leaders were called for a meeting with BJP leaders. According to Dipke, Das and Ranka were kept at the venue for around five hours, although the actual meeting lasted only about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, the crowd gathered for the march was becoming increasingly impatient and wanted to move towards Parliament. Dipke said he was already extremely weak because of the hunger strike and did not have enough energy to address or control the protesters.

He said he repeatedly tried to contact Das and Ranka, but their phones were unreachable. Recalling the situation, Dipke said he was “really mad” at the two leaders because their absence made it difficult for him to manage the crowd.

Dipke said he kept asking where the two were as protesters waited to proceed. He maintained that the march was intended to be conducted responsibly and without creating problems for anyone.

Asked whether he would have handled the situation differently, Dipke said he would have asked Das and Ranka not to attend the meeting that day. He explained that he had been inexperienced with hunger strikes and did not understand how physically demanding the protest would become.

According to Dipke, he had continued addressing and engaging with supporters during the first two days of his hunger strike. By the third day, however, he had become extremely weak. He said he even fainted early in the morning and had to travel on a truck because he was unable to walk.

He added that having Das and Ranka present at Jantar Mantar would have made it easier for him to manage the crowd and lead the march.

The July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest was part of a 37-day CJP agitation demanding the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination. Protesters attempted to move from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament, leading to clashes with police at several locations.

The agitation was called off after Pradhan resigned on July 25.