Bhagwat defended Gen Z protesters, then Modi branded them 'dimaagi naxal': Dipke

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Sunday declared that the BJP, after being in power for years and having control over the country’s central investigative agencies, had begun to believe that it had become bigger than its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He was addressing a press conference in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

The activist referred to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s address at a conference in New York titled ‘One World One Humanity’, where he remarked that a Hindu who believed that India should have no Muslims was not truly a Hindu.

“I have been saying from the beginning that BJP leaders need to start heeding Mohan Bhagwat’s advice,” the CJP founder said.

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Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dipke said the BJP leadership had failed to follow Bhagwat’s message of inclusivity. “Bhagwat had earlier said that Gen Z protesters should not be called anti-national, but soon after that, Modi came up with the term ‘Dimaagi Naxal’,” he said. “It was clear that he was not listening to Bhagwat. If you do not want to listen to us, at least listen to your mentor, the RSS. You are in government because of them.”

Talking about the CJP’s scheduled protest in New Delhi on September 5, Dipke said the protesters would assemble at India Gate and march towards the police headquarters. “It will be a peaceful march, and I believe it will be bigger than the Jantar Mantar protest,” he said.

The activist said the protest was being revived over two demands—withdrawal of FIRs registered against protesting students and compensation for the families of those who died by suicide after the NEET paper leaks. “These demands were agreed to by the union ministers we spoke with after Jantar Mantar,” he said. “But despite repeated attempts to engage with the government, no resolution has been reached. We have now started believing that the government is deliberately adopting delaying tactics, leaving us with no option but to resume our protest.”

Also Read | Abhijeet Dipke jabs critics as Mohan Bhagwat says protesting doesn't make Gen Z anti-national: ‘To whom it may concern’

Asked whether he was concerned about a fresh FIR against him for the ‘School Theek Karo’ campaign, Dipke said he was unfazed. “Let them file an FIR,” he said. “This will not be the first and it will not be the last. It does not bother me. When I returned from the US, I had already made up my mind that I might end up in jail one day.”

The activist also questioned the credibility of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being undertaken by the Election Commission of India after 3,400 filled SIR forms were found in the possession of a BJP worker in Navi Mumbai.

“Where is the transparency in this process?” he said. “I see a clear management game at work, deciding how many names need to be deleted and how many need to be added so that they can continue to form the government easily. There was a time when voters decided who would form the government. Today, it appears that the government is deciding who will remain a voter. This is extremely dangerous for democracy and a deeply concerning situation.”

Also Read | ‘Youth has forced this’: CJP's Abhijeet Dipke on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's planned interaction with Gen Z

Referring to the SIR exercise in West Bengal, Dipke claimed that around 90% of those initially excluded were subsequently found to be eligible. “This raises serious questions and suggests that there was a deliberate attempt to keep non-BJP voters out of the electoral rolls,” he said.

The activist also extended support to Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange-Patil and said he would visit the site of his hunger strike soon.