The BJP has denied allegations that its workers attacked a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) team in Jaipur’s Bagru assembly constituency on Friday. CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka and volunteers claimed they were assaulted while heading to inspect a dilapidated government school in Rampura Kanwarpura village.
Ranka and CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said “BJP goons” were behind the attack. “BJP goons were sent from outside to KILL CJP members,” Ranka said on X.
The incident took place near Rampura Kanwarpura village, where the CJP team planned to inspect a government primary school and assess its infrastructure and facilities. The allegations could not be independently verified.
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BJP leaders hit back at CJP
Rajasthan BJP minister Jawahar Singh Bedham alleged that Congress workers were operating behind the CJP. “People of Congress wear different masks, visit villages and want to disrupt the peace there. People are giving them a reply,” Bedham told ANI.
He added, “People of Congress are wearing this CJP mask...Nobody cares about Congress, so they are wearing some else's mask.”
{{/usCountry}}He added, “People of Congress are wearing this CJP mask...Nobody cares about Congress, so they are wearing some else's mask.”
{{/usCountry}}Rajasthan BJP minister Avinash Gehlot said the CJP was a party of “anarchic elements”. “This has become a party of anarchic elements. They are not repairing the school, but spreading anarchy,” Gehlot said.
“Anti-BJP elements are doing all this. They just have to oppose the BJP and the system. People are aware in Rajasthan,” he added. Gehlot said, “They have chased CJP away, so they must now learn a lesson and not do these things.”
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Jaipur BJP MLA Gopal Sharma also questioned the relevance of the CJP. “What is CJP? There is no use of Cockroach inside a house. Children and youth belong in a house," Sharma said.
CJP says BJP goons pelted stones, tore clothes
Ranka, earlier, alleged that he and other CJP volunteers were assaulted while visiting the area. Speaking to Hindustan Times, he said, “They attacked us and fractured the arm of one of our volunteers,” while alleging that those involved were BJP workers.
A video purportedly showing the incident shows a group of people confronting the CJP team. Chants of “Jai Shri Ram” can also be heard in the video.
Ranka on Friday alleged that his team was assaulted and pelted with stones while inspecting a government school in Rampura Kanwarpura and blamed Rajasthan minister Madan Dilawar for the attack. He alleged “BJP goons” broke a volunteer's arm and tore their clothes off.
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“All levels of disgust have been crossed today,” Ranka said in a post on X. He alleged that the school had been operating from a buffalo shed for years and claimed the CJP team was attacked when it arrived to inspect it.
“Car windows were smashed, stones were rained down on the team. Clothes were torn. Stones were thrown into tubes to attack the team. My clothes were torn,” he said.
Ranka alleged the attack took place “on the orders of Madan Dilawar”. “Madan Dilawar finds it acceptable for children to keep studying in a buffalo shed. But fixing the school? That's not acceptable,” he said.
Addressing the minister, Ranka added, “Mr. Madan Dilawar, you sent goons today and shamed the entire state of Rajasthan in the eyes of the country.” “But we are not the kind of people who get intimidated by such thuggery,” he said, adding, “The school will be fixed, one way or another.”
CJP member Sanju told ANI that the team was attacked with sticks and stones. “We came to visit the school here in Rampura. Our colleagues had visited here even a year back, and schools were being run in a buffalo shed. We came here to see that again,” Sanju said.
He alleged that BJP-RSS workers were already present at the spot.
“BJP-RSS goons were already present here. They hit us with sticks, pushed us, and even pelted stones at us. They pushed me to the ground and beat me with a stick, I have suffered an injury to my hand. It is hurting a lot,” he said.
Ashutosh Ranka on Friday asked the media not to blame villagers for the confrontation. He alleged that people from outside the village were sent to incite violence.
Ranka said the villagers themselves had invited the CJP team to inspect the government school in Rampura Kanwarpura. “Requesting media to not blame the villagers for today’s incident,” Ranka wrote in a post on X.
“People were sent from outside to incite violence,” he alleged. “It was the villagers who had requested us to come and inspect the school.”
Villager disputes CJP's version
A villager, Jugal Kishore Sharma, denied that locals attacked the CJP team.
“We did not do anything. They had brought 200-250 people with them. We did not hit them. We spoke to them calmly, but they broke their own car,” Sharma told ANI.
He also disputed the team's claim that it had come to repair the school. “They say that they had come to repair the school. But this will be done by our MLA, ₹12 Lakhs has been earmarked for it,” he said.
“We opposed because we will not let any party except BJP or Congress come here,” he said. “My wife is so scared that she has not stepped out of the house,” Sharma added.
CJP planned school inspections
The CJP team planned to visit two government schools in Jaipur -- one at Rampura Kanwarpura and another at Bhatta Wala on Vatika Road. According to the party, the visits were aimed at assessing school infrastructure, the education system and facilities available to students.
Ranka earlier posted on social media about the condition of the primary school at Rampura Kanwarpura. He claimed the main school building had become unsafe and was closed after portions of the roof and beams deteriorated. The structure was being supported with iron angles, he said.