Nagpur, October 14: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday criticised the Narendra Modi-led government after two party leaders were sent to five days of judicial custody for allegedly trespassing into the Jantar Mantar area in New Delhi. He accused the government of imposing an “unofficial emergency” in the country.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Dipke questioned the action against CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, asking what offence they had committed by waving the national flag at Jantar Mantar.
According to police sources, Das and Ranka were sent to judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail after allegedly violating their peace bonds and entering Jantar Mantar without authorisation. The area had reportedly been denotified as a designated protest site.
The two leaders were detained early Tuesday after allegedly crossing barricades and raising slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Reacting to their detention, Dipke challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to impose an Emergency officially if that was the government’s intention.
He alleged that keeping people in custody for five days for waving the Tricolour amounted to an “unofficial emergency” and described the action as an attack on democratic freedoms.
Dipke also said he would visit Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur to pay tribute to Dr B.R. Ambedkar, who embraced Buddhism there on October 14, 1956, along with thousands of followers.
Emphasising the importance of the Constitution and Ambedkar’s ideals, the CJP founder said India should continue to uphold constitutional values and rejected what he described as attempts to impose the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on the country.
Asked about the Opposition INDIA bloc’s protests seeking the CEC’s resignation, Dipke said the CJP was an independent pressure group and would maintain its separate identity.
However, he clarified that the party was not opposed to the INDIA bloc, adding that both movements were working towards the same cause.
