Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday intensified his criticism of the Centre, alleging that the police action against students during the July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ march was carried out on the instructions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Speaking after returning to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar following the month-long protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the alleged NEET paper leak, Dipke demanded Shah’s resignation and claimed that democratic institutions in the country were under pressure.
Addressing reporters, Dipke said protecting democracy was no longer just the responsibility of the Opposition, asserting that ordinary citizens would also have to step forward. “Saving democracy is not merely an Opposition issue now. The people of the country will have to come together (to save it),” he said. He further questioned the functioning of constitutional institutions, alleging that agencies such as the ED and the CBI had been used for political purposes. “There is a question mark even on judiciary. We have all seen how ED and CBI were used to break parties like the Shiv Sena and the NCP. The big institutions in the country had a duty to keep democracy alive and not create the dictatorship of a single man. They let it happen. To stop this, not only the Opposition, but even the people will have to come together,” he added.
The CJP founder also criticised the appointment of Pralhad Joshi as the new Union Education Minister, claiming the change would not improve the government’s approach. According to Dipke, “If the Education Minister of the country applauds rapists, this means another weird man has been brought in after removing Dharmendra Pradhan. What message is being given to the country? They cannot do anything else because their party is full of goons. People like Ram Rahim come out on parole during their tenure. This government supports goons and rapists.”
Responding to yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s remarks against Gen Z protesters, Dipke defended the student agitation, saying it was conducted peacefully and within the framework of the Constitution. “We have fought for our rights against the paper leak in a constitutional way. If agitating with photos of Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar in a legal way is defaming culture, we have done it,” he said, adding, “Gen Z can handle the country and its culture well. He should concentrate on Patanjali else it may go out of business.”
Backing the Opposition’s demand for action, Dipke said Amit Shah should step down over the alleged police crackdown. “Amit Shah should definitely resign,” he said, claiming that “the order to use force against students on July 20 must have been issued by Amit Shah and no one else.”
He also extended support to farmers, saying the CJP would stand with them during future protests if required. “Wherever farmers need us, we will stand with them. I also belong to a farmer family. Many of us are from farmer families,” he said.
Dipke further accused the Delhi Police of attempting to create a false narrative around the protest by allegedly bringing trucks loaded with stones near the demonstration site before the march. “Trucks filled with stones were brought by the Delhi Police on Jul 19 and 20 morning at around 5:30. I have seen that personally,” he claimed, alleging that the material was later described as construction debris to portray students as violent. He also urged police personnel to remain loyal to the Constitution rather than any political party, saying, “The police in this country should follow the Constitution. They don’t belong to a party but they belong to the country.”
