E-Paper
'Could've been like Nepal, Bangladesh': Dipke says CJP marched with restraint
Even after the protest site was cleared, CJP leaders, including, wife of activist Sonam Wangchuk, continued their sit-in near Kerala House.
After holding talks with BJP leader JP Nadda, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders on Monday said their protest would continue, refusing to leave Jantar Mantar despite police clearing the site and dismantling the stage.
Addressing supporters from atop a truck near Kerala House, close to Jantar Mantar, CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke accused the government of trying to weaken the protesters' resolve.
"This government wants to break the morale of the people, and by the looks of it, feels like they have accomplished that much," Dipke said, and urged supporters not to lose hope, saying movements for change take time.
"I didn't come back from the US to back off. Some people think change can happen in a single day. I understand, you have all come from far away, but this is a long fight," he said.
Addressing supporters, Dipke said that while the protesters had the numbers to escalate the agitation, they deliberately chose restraint. "I will take the blame that CJP didn't march to Parliament today because I cared about the safety of the students. If we had wanted, India could have been like Nepal or Bangladesh. But we didn't let that happen," he said.
Even after the protest site was cleared, CJP leaders, including Dipke, Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Gitanjali, wife of activist Sonam Wangchuk, continued their sit-in near Kerala House.
Also Read: CJP Protest LIVE: 'Won't back off' - Dipke says as police clear Jantar Mantar, dismantle stage
In a post on X, the CJP said, "Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Gitanjali Ma'am (Sonam sir's wife) are still continuing the sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar. They are right now in front of Kerala House. This peaceful protest is not ending!"
Ashutosh Ranka, addressing the crowd, said the agitation would continue until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down.
"Arrest us all, or we will keep protesting till our demands are met," Ranka said.
He added, "We won't leave Jantar Mantar till Dharmendra Pradhan resigns."
CJP meets JP Nadda, makes three demands
The fresh declaration came hours after CJP representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka met Union Health Minister and BJP president JP Nadda to press the outfit's demands.
Speaking after the meeting, Das said the delegation sought three key actions from the government: the immediate release of activist Sonam Wangchuk from hospital, the resignation or dismissal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and compensation of ₹1 crore for the families of more than 20 NEET aspirants who allegedly died by suicide.
"We met JP Nadda twice. During the meeting, we stated our three demands... The protest will continue until Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation is secured," Das said.
He later posted on X that the delegation spent nearly four hours at Nadda's residence and that while the demands had been conveyed, no assurance had been given.
"The Minister assured us he will discuss this at the appropriate level. However, no commitments have been made so far. The peaceful protesters will not rest until the demand is met," Das wrote.
JP Nadda, in a post on X, confirmed that the government held discussions with the protesters after they sought talks.
"This morning, for the first time, a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government... I have requested all the protesters to end their sit-in and assist the administration in restoring normalcy," he said.
Despite the appeal, CJP leaders remained at the protest site late into the evening, reiterating that their agitation would continue until their demands, particularly the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, were met.
