Abhijeet Dipke accused the Modi government of curbing dissent, calling the situation an “unofficial Emergency”.
CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were remanded to five days of judicial custody after their detention at Jantar Mantar.
Dipke questioned the Election Commission and Supreme Court over voter deletions and reiterated the CJP’s political independence.
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to officially declare an Emergency if the government intended to suppress dissent, after party leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were remanded to five days of judicial custody following their detention at Jantar Mantar.
Dipke accused the Centre of using indirect measures to curb dissent and questioned whether unfurling the national flag had become an offence under the Modi government. He was speaking in Nagpur before leaving for New Delhi to resume the agitation demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
“I want to tell the Central government that if an Emergency has to be imposed in the country, make it official. Why this unofficial Emergency?”
“If the Prime Minister is so determined to crush dissent, he should show the courage to officially impose Emergency instead of hiding behind cowardly tactics.”
According to Indian Express, Delhi Police detained Ranka, Das and other CJP volunteers on Tuesday morning after they entered the Jantar Mantar protest site. The action came a day after the site was declared no longer a designated location for protests.
Dipke Alleges Illegal Action Against CJP Leaders
Dipke questioned the grounds for the arrests, claiming that the only action taken by Ranka and Das was to unfurl the tricolour. He also alleged that they had not been allowed to contact their lawyers.
“Today, Das and Ranka have been sent to judicial custody. What crime have they committed? Their crime was going to Jantar Mantar and unfurling the tricolour. Has unfurling the tricolour during Narendra Modi’s tenure become a sin?”
“The action taken against them is completely illegal. They have not even been allowed to contact their lawyers,” Dipke alleged.
Dipke had earlier returned from Delhi to his native Hingoli in Maharashtra following his grandmother’s death. He was heading back to the national capital to continue the agitation over the demand for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
CJP Founder Questions Election Commission, Supreme Court Over Voter Deletions
Dipke also questioned the Election Commission of India and the Supreme Court over the deletion of voters’ names, referring to developments in West Bengal and elsewhere.
“Currently, a major spell of vote deletions is underway in the country. Whether in Bengal or elsewhere, when voters’ names were removed, what were the constitutional bodies and the Supreme Court doing? Did the Supreme Court ask the Central government: ‘Don’t contest this time, contest next time’?”
Indian Express reported that Dipke maintained the CJP was independent of all political parties, despite receiving support from Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray.
“Cockroach Janta Party is completely independent and is not affiliated with any political party. However, it is necessary to speak out against whatever is happening in the country. We have received support from Uddhav Thackeray Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena),” Dipke said.
Asked about the Opposition’s ongoing protests, Dipke said the INDIA bloc and its alliance partners were fighting together to protect democracy and the Constitution.
Dipke Invokes Ambedkar, Dismisses Security Concerns
On the question of his personal safety, Dipke said he did not need protection and that the authorities could arrest him if they wished.
He said the country’s constitutional foundations would endure despite what he described as the Centre’s attempts to impose the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
“Our country runs on the Constitution and the thoughts of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. No matter how much the Central government tries to impose the RSS ideology, this country will always run on Babasaheb’s thoughts,” he said.
