Abhijeet Dipke defends CJP protests, says govt curbs freedoms through shutdowns, Internet bans

New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke has defended the party’s protests, asserting that peaceful demonstrations are a constitutional right and accusing the government of curbing citizens’ freedoms through city shutdowns, Internet suspensions and restrictions on movement.

In a strongly worded post on X on Friday, Dipke rejected attempts to portray the CJP as anarchist, saying that questioning those in power and protesting against injustice were essential features of democracy.

Dipke said businesses were not affected by peaceful protests but by the government’s decision to shut down entire cities, suspend Internet services and restrict the movement of citizens.

“Businesses do not suffer because of peaceful protests. They suffer when the govt decides to shut down an entire city, suspend Internet services, restrict the movement of its own citizens and turn the city into a war-zone,” he said.

The CJP founder said the party had held protests in Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur, Lucknow, Bengaluru and Nagpur, and claimed that all of them remained peaceful.

Dipke said the party remained committed to Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of peace and non-violence, despite what he described as repeated attempts to provoke its members.

He said he was assaulted during a protest in Jaipur but chose not to retaliate, as responding to violence with violence was against the party’s beliefs.

“We would rather exercise the rights guaranteed to us by the Constitution, drafted under the leadership of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, than resort to physical force,” he said, adding that the party’s strength lay in its commitment to constitutional values.

Rejecting allegations that the CJP was promoting anarchy, Dipke said demanding answers from the government, protesting on the streets and questioning public representatives were fundamental democratic expressions.

“Demanding answers from the govt is not anarchy, protesting against injustice on the streets is not anarchy, and questioning those who hold public office is certainly not anarchy,” he said.

Calling for greater accountability, Dipke urged citizens to question elected representatives and speak out against injustice.

“A govt that has been elected by the people is bound to listen to the people, not silence them. Democracy does not end once the votes have been counted,” he added.

(Inputs from IANS)