Addressing the Jantar Mantar meet of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), party founder Abhijeet Dipke Saturday attacked what he termed as the politics of “fear” and “Hindu-Muslim”.
He questioned who had actually gained from ‘communal’ politics over the last decade and whether it had resulted in any employment. Dipke, after landing at airport’s Terminal 3, was driven to Jantar Mantar around 12 noon.
“My mother did not cry as much when I was leaving for the US as when I was returning… for the last two to three days, my mother and sister were crying that if I go back, they will throw me behind bars,” he said addressing the gathering on a sultry Saturday afternoon.
“But this is not a fear that just my mother has; in this country, whichever child, student, youth will speak on politics, will speak against this government, their mother fears they will be thrown behind bars,” he alleged.
Dipke began his speech while holding a copy of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar’s autobiography. In a seeming bid to project political inclusivity, ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, ‘Jai Bhim’, and ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ slogans were raised from time to time, peppered with ‘nahin darenge’ chants.
The Tricolour was the sole flag, in addition to Ambedkar’s portrait, to be raised by the gradually swelling gathering predominantly consisting of the youth.
There was opposition from a smaller group, who attempted to enter the protest site while raising anti-CJP slogans, expressing loud disagreement with what they alleged was an anti-India ploy to make “India like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, or Nepal” by effecting a regime change through Gen Z-driven protests.
