Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday extended his CJP's support to the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“GYANU MUST GO! The Cockroach Janta Party extends its support to the INDIA Bloc’s November 1 rally. Nation above all,” Dipke posted on X.
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CJP's statement on supporting INDIA bloc protest
In its statement, the CJP said democracy was founded on the principle that people chose their government, rather than the government deciding who could vote. The party alleged that the SIR exercise had undermined this principle, raising concerns about the removal of eligible voters from electoral rolls.
{{/usCountry}}In its statement, the CJP said democracy was founded on the principle that people chose their government, rather than the government deciding who could vote. The party alleged that the SIR exercise had undermined this principle, raising concerns about the removal of eligible voters from electoral rolls.
{{/usCountry}}“The fundamental principle of democracy is that people get to choose their government, not that the government gets to choose its voters,” the outfit said.
CJP raises concerns over SIR, calls for CEC's resignation
The Cockroach Janta Party also called for Kumar’s resignation, saying it was necessary to restore public trust in the Election Commission.
It said the Constitution’s framers, including Dr BR Ambedkar and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, had placed their faith in the people by granting every adult citizen an equal right to vote, irrespective of caste, religion, gender, education or economic background.
The outfit said the principle behind universal adult suffrage was to expand democratic participation rather than restrict it. However, it alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had raised concerns over the exclusion of eligible voters.
“The idea was simple: bring more citizens into democracy, not keep them out of it,” the CJP said in its statement.
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CJP invokes Ambedkar's vision
The outfit added that Ambedkar’s vision of equal political representation needed to be upheld by the government and constitutional institutions. It stressed that the Election Commission was responsible for safeguarding the voting rights of every eligible citizen.
“Our Constitution gave every adult citizen the right to vote. It is our responsibility to ensure that no eligible citizen is deprived of that right,” the CJP said.
The outfit also announced its support for organisations campaigning for free and fair elections, concluding its statement with "Jai Bhim. Jai Hind.”