‘I also believe Amit Shah should resign’: CJP's Abhijeet Dipke echoes Rahul Gandhi over police action on protesters

Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has publicly demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of authorizing the violent crackdown on protesters during the July 20 "Sansad Chalo" march. Dipke alleged that the police action, which resulted in injuries and bloodshed among students, was carried out on Shah’s orders. His remarks followed a similar call from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had previously accused Shah of orchestrating the crackdown and demanded his resignation. Dipke echoed Gandhi’s stance, stating, “I also believe that he [Shah] should resign.” Dipke made these claims while addressing journalists in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, shortly after returning home from a prolonged CJP-led protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The protest, which lasted over a month, centered around the NEET paper leak scandal. The movement eventually led to the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, marking the first instance in the National Democratic Alliance government’s three-term rule where a popular street protest compelled a Union minister to step down. Pradhan’s resignation occurred amid widespread public unrest, with students defying police barricades to participate in what became the largest demonstrations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term. Dipke further alleged that the Delhi Police had orchestrated the violence by bringing a truckload of stones and a damaged vehicle to the protest site to justify the crackdown. According to him, the police staged the incident to frame the protesters as aggressors. “The Delhi Police orchestrated the stone-throwing. BJP goons arrived, threw stones, and students were blamed,” he stated. He also accused the BJP of threatening him and his family to pressure him into joining the party. “I was threatened. My parents were also threatened to coerce me into joining the BJP. They told us to either join the party or face consequences.” In response, BJP leader Keshav Upadhye criticized Dipke, suggesting that he should align with the Congress if he wished to follow Gandhi’s line of reasoning. Upadhye noted that Dipke had participated in a protest that the BJP government had partially addressed by introducing legislation against paper leaks and accepting Pradhan’s resignation. “He should have respected that, but instead he is indulging in politics. If he wants to follow Rahul Gandhi’s line, then he should join the Congress,” Upadhye said. The BJP denied any claims of threats against Dipke or his family. Dipke also expressed broader concerns about the state of democratic institutions in the country, questioning the role of the judiciary and criticizing the use of agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to target political opponents. He argued that these institutions had failed to uphold democracy and instead contributed to the rise of a “dictatorship of a single man.” He emphasized that saving democracy required collective effort beyond just the opposition, urging citizens to take part in safeguarding democratic values. Additionally, Dipke criticized the appointment of Pralhad Joshi as the new Education Minister, calling him a “weird” figure. He questioned the implications of having a minister who allegedly praised individuals associated with criminal activities. Dipke also took aim at yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who had commented on the cultural impact of the student-led protests at Jantar Mantar. Dipke defended the protests as constitutional and asserted that the display of images of Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar was a legitimate exercise of free speech. Dipke reiterated his support for farmers, emphasizing that many within the CJP are from farming backgrounds. He pledged the party’s solidarity with farmers during their protests, stating, “Wherever farmers need us, we will stand with them.” He also urged the police to adhere to the Constitution rather than follow BJP directives, joking that if they refused, they should wear “khaki chaddi” and declare themselves as “chowkidars” (watchmen) loyal to the BJP.