Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee on Saturday met CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke in Delhi ahead of the Opposition's November 1 rally against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and alleged electoral irregularities at Ramlila Maidan. Banerjee praised Dipke and other young activists for their role in raising issues related to the SIR and the Election Commission.
“I am so proud of them, not only me, all the young generations today. They are the pioneers and they are the founders of this movement,” she said.
The TMC chief also acknowledged their support for the Opposition rally scheduled for Sunday and said her party would extend its support to them.
Dipke expressed support for the INDIA bloc's rally and said the meeting was an opportunity to acknowledge Banerjee's backing for the organisation's first protest at Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak, as well as her support when its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were arrested by the Delhi Police.
“I just came to say thank you to Didi because the way she supported our first Jantar Mantar movement, she was always so strongly with the youth movement. When Saurav and Ashutosh were arrested by the Delhi Police, even then Didi stood with us very firmly,” he told news agency PTI.
CJP backs INDIA bloc rally but will retain independent identity
Asked whether the outfit would join the Opposition's rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, Dipke said CJP supported the cause but would retain its independent standing.
{{/usCountry}}Asked whether the outfit would join the Opposition's rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, Dipke said CJP supported the cause but would retain its independent standing.
{{/usCountry}}“We support the protest tomorrow, we stand in solidarity, but the Cockroach Janta Party is an independent organisation; it is a neutral platform, and we want to keep it that way,” he said.
He added that the issue of alleged electoral irregularities was not limited to a single organisation and that CJP would extend its support to groups raising concerns over vote theft.
“Anybody who will fight against this vote theft, we will support all organisations,” he said.
Mamata Banerjee praises young activists, calls them pioneers of movement
Banerjee, who is in Delhi to attend Sunday's rally, praised Dipke and other young activists for their role in the protests concerning the SIR of electoral rolls and the Election Commission.
“They have extended their full support for tomorrow's rally, and we have extended all support to them as well. They are the pioneers and the founders of this movement. That we must remember,” she told reporters.
The TMC chief said she was glad to meet the activists and acknowledged the efforts they had made to sustain the protests despite challenges.
She also invited Dipke and the others to visit West Bengal and organise programmes there. Asked whether they planned to hold an event in Kolkata, Banerjee said the decision was theirs to make.
The meeting took place a day before the INDIA bloc's rally at Ramlila Maidan, where Opposition parties are set to raise allegations of electoral irregularities and seek accountability from the Election Commission.(With inputs from PTI)