‘Peaceful protests don’t hurt businesses’: Abhijeet Dipke slams curbs ahead of CJP protest in Delhi
New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday defended his party’s protests, saying peaceful demonstrations do not hurt businesses and accusing governments of causing disruption by restricting movement, suspending internet services and shutting down parts of cities.
In a post on X at noon on October 16, Dipke said the CJP had consistently followed “Gandhi’s path of peace and non-violence” and claimed that protests organised by the party in Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur, Lucknow, Bengaluru and Nagpur had remained peaceful.
His remarks came amid the ongoing dispute over restrictions imposed in central Delhi ahead of the CJP’s proposed protest at Connaught Place. The issue also reached the Supreme Court on Friday, where a plea by traders seeking urgent intervention over the Central Park shutdown was deferred until after the Dussehra vacation.
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Dipke rejects ‘anarchy’ tag
Dipke said he had personally been assaulted during a protest in Jaipur but chose not to retaliate, arguing that responding to violence with violence would contradict the party’s stated commitment to non-violence.
“We would rather exercise the rights guaranteed to us by the Constitution,” he said, invoking constitutional values associated with B R Ambedkar.
Rejecting the portrayal of the CJP as “anarchists”, Dipke argued that demanding answers from the government, protesting against alleged injustice and questioning public officials are fundamental democratic activities.
He also accused governments of treating street protests differently when they are in power compared with when they are in opposition.
‘Govt should listen to people’
Dipke said the party was not seeking “privileges or special treatment”, but only the right to protest available to citizens irrespective of which political party is in power.
“So let us fulfil our duty as citizens of this country by questioning those we elect, demanding accountability and speaking up whenever we witness injustice,” he said.
“A govt that has been elected by the people is bound to listen to the people, not silence them. Democracy does not end once the votes have been counted,” Dipke added.
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CJP protest and Central Park shutdown
The remarks come a day after the New Delhi Municipal Council ordered the closure of Central Park in Connaught Place following Dipke’s call for supporters to gather there with the national flag on October 16.
The proposed demonstration was announced in support of CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who were sent to five days of judicial custody after allegedly entering Jantar Mantar and violating peace bonds.
The Central Park closure has also triggered concern among traders during the festival season. The Delhi Kirana Committee and Delhi Iron and Hardware Merchant Association approached the Supreme Court, claiming that the shutdown could affect business worth around Rs 200 crore a day.
The Supreme Court on Friday declined to take up the matter urgently and said it would list the plea after the Dussehra vacation, while observing that it could consider compensation if the restrictions are ultimately found to be unlawful or disproportionate.