Abhijeet Dipke 'resigns as MP CM' after Balaghat heckling, sparks row over 'misuse of letterhead'

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Sunday took a dig at the Madhya Pradesh government, sharing a satirical resignation letter as the state’s chief minister.

This comes a day after Dipke was allegedly heckled by some influencers in Balaghat, where he had gone to meet the parents of tribal children who had died due to an infection.

“I hereby resign as the Chief Minister of MP with immediate effect. I thank Hon’ble PM @narendramodi ji for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of MP, an opportunity in which I have clearly failed,” Dipke wrote on X while sharing the fake letter that looked close to authentic.

In the satirical letter, Dipke discussed what he called the “failures” of the state government, taking a dig at chief minister Mohan Yadav and his colleagues over the Sagar hooch tragedy and the Balaghat infection deaths, among other issues.

CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka reacted to Dipke's post, joking that he was “running away” from responsibility.

Dipke heckled in Balaghat

Abhijeet Dipke visited Adori, Korka and Bondari villages in MP’s Balaghat on Saturday to meet the families of tribal children who allegedly died due to infectious diseases and to gather information about local healthcare facilities.

A viral video showed a woman 'influencer' sticking a mic in Dipke's face as he was driving away in a car, and asking him if he had come there to "do politics on corpses" and why he was visiting the area so late. Dipke was heard saying he apologised for visiting the area late.

The woman was also heard saying, "A good road has been constructed here. Can't you see it?" As the situation escalated, CJP workers accompanying Dipke put him in another car and took him away. While the CJP founder left, the woman was heard saying, “he ran away, he ran away.”

Local journalists said they were surprised to see this group of social media influencers from outside turn up in the remote village and wondered whether they had been sent by someone to disrupt the CJP founder's visit.

The Madhya Pradesh high court recently sought a response from the state government over the deaths of more than 30 children in the region.

The HC issued notices to the state Health Department, the Women and Child Development Department, the Balaghat collector, and others while hearing a PIL alleging that children were not receiving adequate treatment and that around 400 children were being treated at a hospital with a capacity of 50 beds.

A report prepared by the petitioner alleged widespread filth in the area and claimed that these conditions were causing infections and that children continued to die from diseases.

Sagar hooch tragedy

A tragedy was reported from the Banda area of Sagar district after several people allegedly fell ill following the consumption of spurious liquor. 16 people lost their lives in the tragedy, and so far, 19 accused have been arrested in the case.

A medical treatment involving fomepizole, an antidote used in suspected toxic alcohol poisoning, has also emerged as a crucial intervention in the treatment of several patients. According to officials, the drug has helped save the lives of more than 30 people so far.

Fomepizole is used as an antidote in cases of poisoning involving toxic alcohols such as methanol. Its use can help prevent the formation of toxic metabolites and is an important part of treatment when methanol poisoning is suspected.