Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, who is scheduled to return to India this week, has said that he is "ready" to get arrested upon his arrival.
Sharing the impact of CJP's social media boom in two weeks, Dipke stated that while he was unemployed till recently, he had now received several attractive job offers from multinational corporations in the US and Europe. Dipke mentioned that despite the visibility, he declined in favour of returning to India to advance the movement. He also shared that he remains committed to pursuing a peaceful movement aimed at seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged shortcomings in the Indian education system. "Two weeks back, I was applying for jobs," Dipke said in an interview with PTI on Monday, describing the past fortnight as a "roller coaster ride". He has completed a master's degree in public relations in Boston "I will most likely be arrested at the airport," he stated, adding that he believes his planned protest is protected under the constitutional guarantees of free expression and peaceful assembly.
Dipke seeks Pradhan's resignation
Dipke said that his immediate objective is to demand accountability and call for Pradhan's resignation, highlighting issues related to NEET, CBSE, and CUET examinations, which he claimed adversely affected millions of students.
"We will keep asking for the resignation, and we won't stop until he resigns," he said, arguing that the education minister should take "moral responsibility".
While CJP's swift growth has sparked speculation regarding its political future, Dipke remarked that it is too early to consider transforming it into a registered political party. For the time being, he characterised CJP as a "political youth movement" focused on reshaping political discourse and centring the aspirations and concerns of young individuals in politics he stated.
The movement, Dipke said, was born out of growing frustration among young Indians over unemployment, inflation and developments in the education sector.
"I wouldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams that something like this could happen," he said.
According to Dipke, the support for a platform that started as satire reflects a deepening disillusionment with the current political landscape. "It's the failure of the political ecosystem to cater to the aspirations, needs, concerns, and hopes of the youth," he explained.
He posited that young people are increasingly dissatisfied not only with mainstream politics but also with established institutions. "Yes, they are tired of the mainstream politics. They are tired of the mainstream media," he asserted, claiming that student-related issues are often overlooked.
Dipke affirmed that the movement intends to remain independent, despite some expressions of support from political figures.
"No opposition leader has personally contacted me," he said, adding that "the youth wants to keep this movement pretty much independent." However, he mentioned that political parties could extend support to the movement.
Regarding his plans for the movement's future, he stated that organisers would consult supporters and registered members for suggestions and input after his return to India. "We will take their suggestions on how to advance this movement," he said.
Dipke announced that he would return to India on June 6 to initiate a peaceful protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over examination-related issues. He also encouraged CJP supporters to join him at the Delhi airport on June 6.
(With PTI inputs)
