'Abhijeet Dipke will contest polls': BJP MP Nishikant Dubey says CJP founder may join Bhim Army
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Tuesday claimed that Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke could eventually enter electoral politics, saying every major public movement in India has produced political leaders and predicting that the activist may contest future elections on a Bhim Army ticket.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, the Godda MP said Dipke's political journey could mirror those of leaders who emerged from popular agitations before entering mainstream politics.
"Every movement has produced political leaders. The JP movement produced leaders, including Lalu Prasad Yadav. Arvind Kejriwal also emerged from Anna Hazare's movement," Dubey said.
He went on to claim that Dipke, who has emerged as the face of the Cockroach Janta Party's protests over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, would eventually join electoral politics.
"Abhijeet Dipke may also contest elections in the future. Even in Nepal, those associated with the Gen Z movement eventually joined a political party. Similarly, Abhijeet Dipke will join a political party. I can say with certainty that he will contest elections on a Bhim Army ticket," Dubey said.
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Dubey's comments come a day after thousands of protesters joined the CJP's "Chalo Sansad" march in Delhi, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak and wider concerns about transparency in the country's examination system.
The protests began at Jantar Mantar on June 20 under Dipke's leadership and gathered further momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk launched an indefinite hunger strike on June 28 in support of the movement.
Dubey alleges Bhim Army supporters are part of protest
The BJP MP also alleged that many people raising slogans alongside Dipke were associated with the Bhim Army and groups that had earlier participated in protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
According to Dubey, the affiliations of those participating in the demonstrations reflected a broader political agenda behind the movement.
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Despite predicting that Dipke could eventually enter politics, Dubey asserted that the ongoing protest movement still looked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for action on the examination controversy.
He said the protesters were primarily seeking transparency in recruitment and examination processes and demanding strict punishment for those responsible for alleged irregularities.
Dubey added that Prime Minister Modi also addressed issues concerning young people during the NDA parliamentary party meeting earlier in the day.
Dubey targets Kejriwal and Congress
Responding to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal's remarks describing the Prime Minister as the "biggest anti-national in the country", Dubey dismissed the comments, saying they did not warrant a response from the Prime Minister.
He also criticised Kejriwal's governance in Punjab, accusing the AAP government of failing to tackle the state's drug problem, and questioned the implementation of the Lokpal during Kejriwal's tenure as Delhi chief minister.
On Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's demand that the Prime Minister apologise to students over the alleged police action during the CJP protest, Dubey instead called on the Congress to apologise for the Emergency imposed in 1975 and for its handling of the Anna Hazare movement, alleging that young protesters had faced police action during the previous UPA government.
With PTI inputs