Mumbai: A day after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat backed protesting Gen Z youth and said their grievances were genuine, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) convener Abhijeet Dipke challenged the BJP to follow what he called the advice of its "mentor", claiming the ruling party's stand is out of step with the Sangh chief.

Addressing reporters on Friday, Dipke pointed to Bhagwat's remarks in Mumbai, where the RSS chief said young people raising concerns should not be branded "anti-national" and that he believed in their honesty.

Calling Bhagwat the BJP's "mentor and godfather", Dipke said the party should align itself with the RSS chief's position on the protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.

"The most important statement of Mohan Bhagwat was that the protesting youth should not be called anti-national and their issues are genuine," Dipke said.

He contrasted Bhagwat's remarks with earlier statements from BJP leaders, alleging that the party president had called the CJP a "virus", while former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had described the outfit as the "B-team of terrorists".

"Now they should listen to Mohan Bhagwat because he is the mentor and godfather of the BJP," Dipke said.

Bhagwat's interaction with young people in Mumbai on Thursday has drawn attention after he openly supported Gen Z protesters, saying dissent over genuine issues should not invite the label of being anti-national. The outreach is being seen as one of the RSS's most significant engagements with Gen Z and Gen Alpha since the protests over the alleged NEET paper leak.

Dipke claimed there was "zero synchronisation" between the BJP's position and Bhagwat's remarks.

"If they are not listening to their mentor, this is something worrying. If this is the thing, Bhagwat should speak to the BJP once," he said.

The CJP leader also called for an investigation into videos circulating on social media during the Jantar Mantar protests, alleging that fake clips linked to the BJP's IT cell would be exposed if examined. The BJP has not publicly responded to the allegation.

Dipke said CJP teams had also been sent to Jharkhand to support aspirants protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.

He warned that separate youth protests across states could merge into a larger nationwide movement if governments failed to address their concerns.

"We will try to bring people together on the issues that concern the youth. If people come together, leaving aside political and ideological differences, they can put pressure on the government, much like what we witnessed during the Jantar Mantar agitation," he said.

With PTI inputs