The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has given Rajasthan education minister Madan Dilawar 48 hours to arrest those allegedly involved in an attack on its volunteers during a school inspection in Jaipur, warning that it will launch a statewide agitation and demand his resignation if action is not taken.
CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka alleged that the government school had been operating from a buffalo shed for several years and said the party’s team had gone to inspect it when they were allegedly attacked, news agency PTI reported.
Also Read: BJP rejects CJP’s ‘goon attack’ charge in Jaipur: ‘They must now learn a lesson’
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Deep Dive
What led to the CJP's ultimatum to Rajasthan's education minister?
Why did CJP members go to inspect a school in Jaipur?
How did the BJP respond to the CJP's allegations of an attack?
“We had gone to inspect the school in Rampura-Kanwarpura village. For the past several years, the school has been operating in a buffalo shed. We had gone for an inspection last year as well, and the school was being run in a buffalo shed even then,” Ranka told the agency.
{{/usCountry}}“We had gone to inspect the school in Rampura-Kanwarpura village. For the past several years, the school has been operating in a buffalo shed. We had gone for an inspection last year as well, and the school was being run in a buffalo shed even then,” Ranka told the agency.
{{/usCountry}}Ranka alleged that BJP workers were already present at the site before the CJP team arrived and claimed that the party’s volunteers were assaulted. He said vehicle windows were smashed, phones were broken and a woman was assaulted during the incident.
“The police were informed, but even after we reached the spot, they did not stop. Vehicle windows were smashed, phones were broken, a woman was assaulted, my shirt was torn, and one of our team members suffered a fractured hand. They even attacked us with stones,” he alleged.
Addressing Dilawar, Ranka said, “You have 48 hours. These goons must be arrested. You must withdraw the order, otherwise we will launch a statewide agitation across Rajasthan.”
Ranka warned that the proposed agitation would not be limited to the issue of schools and said the CJP would also demand the education minister’s resignation.
“And this time, it will not just be about the schools. This time, we will demand Madan Dilawar's resignation,” he said.
Calling the incident “a black day in Rajasthan's democratic history”, Ranka said media personnel were present at the site when the alleged attack took place.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also said he would travel to Jaipur to stage a sit-in protest, similar to the party’s demonstration at Jantar Mantar, if repair work at the school does not begin and the “BJP goons are not arrested within the next 48 hours”. He added, “We are not going to back off.”
The allegations made by the CJP could not be independently verified.
BJP rejects claims
The BJP has denied allegations that its workers attacked a CJP team in Jaipur. 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.”
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.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)