In a direct challenge to Maharashtra’s political establishment, Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has called upon ministers and lawmakers to send their own children to village schools for at least a day. This demand, issued on Tuesday during a protest in Hingoli, aims to bridge the staggering divide between the urban elite and rural students who frequently walk several kilometres just to access a classroom.

A Schoolhouse Win and a Drunken Principal

The day’s events were marked by a significant administrative shift. Following a sit-in protest led by Dipke and local residents, the principal of a Zilla Parishad school in Hingoli district was removed from his post. According to reports, the central grievance was the principal’s alleged habit of arriving at the school in an intoxicated state.

"The school principal here used to come drunk to the school," Dipke told ANI, noting that the protest would continue until their further demand for the recruitment of two additional teachers is met. This victory serves as a flashpoint for the 'School Thik Karo' (Fix Our Schools) campaign, which was launched last Saturday from Dipke’s native village on Independence Day.

Walking 10 Kilometres in a Tribal Child's Shoes

The campaign highlights the gruelling reality of education in remote areas, where children are forced to trek 7 to 10 kilometres through monsoon mud and waterlogged paths. Dipke, visibly moved by his own family's history, recalled seeing his siblings walk those same distances years ago.

"Even after 15 years, the situation has not changed. This is shameful," he charged, pointing out the irony that politicians can effortlessly arrange fleets of buses and trains for election rallies but cannot provide a single vehicle for poor students. He questioned whether ministers would ever subject their own children to such conditions, stating that the life of a tribal child must be valued as highly as that of a minister’s child.

Classrooms Swept by Students and Filthy Water

The 'School Thik Karo' tour has uncovered distressing conditions across the district. At a government school in Dhegaj village, Dipke took "strong exception" to students allegedly being forced to sweep their own classrooms despite the presence of cleaning staff. While teachers denied the instruction, Dipke argued that children would not undertake such chores of their own volition.

In Siddheshwar village, the situation appeared even more dire. Reports indicate that students are drinking "filthy water" because a school water filter has remained unused for three years. During the rains, children are forced to huddle together as water leaks through the school's tin roof. When asked what they needed most, the children’s requests were basic: notebooks, pens, and shoes.

Election Rallies and the Great Educational Divide

Dipke did not mince words regarding the broader political climate, alleging that the last decade of discourse has been intentionally designed to divide the public along caste and religious lines. This, he claims, serves as a distraction from the collapse of core infrastructure like education and employment.

"People are being made to fight among themselves, while those in power are benefiting from it," he noted, highlighting that while the children of the poor suffer, the children of the political elite often study in America. He praised villagers who have spent up to 12 lakh rupees of their own money to build school facilities, though he questioned why a government is even necessary if citizens must provide everything themselves.

The 'Listening Tour' and Season Two

This rural campaign is being framed as "Season 2" of the party’s activism, following a 37-day protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi earlier this year. CJP Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das stated that the party has embarked on a nationwide "listening tour" to prioritise public concerns, specifically education, starting this month.

Dipke clarified that his fight is not with local village heads or sarpanches, whose children often attend these same struggling schools. Instead, he intends to work alongside them. "If the government cannot do it, we will do it with the help of villagers," he vowed, promising to personally provide items like tubelights and blackboards where the state has failed.