Abhijeet Dipke says CJP also visited schools in non-BJP states

Mumbai: CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has rejected criticism that his organisation visits schools only in states ruled by the BJP. He said schools in Punjab, Karnataka and Jharkhand had also been visited and shortcomings in the education sector had been brought to the attention of the respective state governments.

In a video posted on X on Thursday, Dipke said CJP co-convener Saurav Das had visited schools in Punjab, Ashutosh Ranga in Karnataka and Ankit in Jharkhand. He claimed that the issues highlighted during these visits had been taken up by government authorities.

Dipke said Punjab Education Minister had invited Saurav Das for a meeting and assured them that the shortcomings raised would be addressed. He also claimed that Karnataka Education Minister had met Ashutosh Ranga and assured action on the issues raised. The Jharkhand government had given a similar response, he said.

Dipke's remarks came amid criticism that the organisation was targeting only BJP governments by visiting schools in BJP-ruled states. He questioned why there was so much opposition to them for pointing out the poor condition of schools and why there was such hostility towards education. He alleged that critics were ignoring the demand for better schools and education for children from poor families.

Dipke also responded to the death of MPSC examination aspirant Prathamesh Deshmukh. Describing the incident as a ‘murder committed by the system’, he called on the government to take steps to prevent such incidents from recurring. He said the government's failure to ensure quality education and employment opportunities had strengthened demands for reservation among young people.

On Thursday, Dipke visited Deshmukh's family in Khasapuri village in Dharashiv. According to Dipke, the family said Deshmukh had moved to Pune with the dream of finding a job and lifting his family out of poverty. He had borrowed money from friends to meet his expenses, they said.

Dipke said paper leaks and delays in examination results had increased stress among students. Unemployment, financial difficulties faced by rural youth and growing frustration with the system were driving young people to take such extreme steps, he said.