Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday entered the fifth day of its sit-in at Delhi's Jantar Mantar
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NEW DELHI — The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday entered the fifth day of its sit-in at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, with founder Abhijeet Dipke alleging that officials refused to show the order behind the blocking of their social media accounts during a review meeting, citing confidentiality.
Dipke, who appeared on Wednesday before a committee of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) regarding the withholding of the group's X account, said the authorities did not explain the reason for the action.
He questioned why similar confidentiality was not maintained in the NEET paper leak case. "Everything is confidential; you should have kept the NEET paper confidential as well. Why did that leak? These suicides would not have happened," he said.
Also Read: Books, dreams, hardships: Voices from Cockroach Janta Party's Jantar Mantar protest on day 3
He alleged that the move aimed at suppressing their voices and claimed officials told them that the accounts were being followed by people in Pakistan. His remarks came a day after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused them of being "B-team of terrorists".
"Are we asking for votes? We are asking for justice. We are taxpayers, our parents are taxpayers, and you call us terrorists. Are you not ashamed?" Dipke said.
He also questioned the government's response, saying, "You called farmers and doctors terrorists. Who is left?"
He asserted that those responsible for student deaths should be held accountable, saying, "Who is responsible for the suicides? It is Dharmendra Pradhan."
When asked about a remark by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who said that while the CJP is an important vehicle for sending a message of frustration on the part of the youth, ultimately established political parties have to take the issue raised by them forward, Dipke said, "Political parties can do what they want. We are not here for votes, nor are we here for a political rally... We are here to demand justice."
The CJP founder, who had earlier said they were ready for dialogue with the government, with Pradhan's resignation being the only condition, stated that the government has not contacted them.
"They are calling us terrorists instead," he quipped.
Dipke has been leading a sit-in, which entered its fifth day on Wednesday, to demand Pradhan's resignation over alleged irregularities in exams and the NEET paper-leak controversy, and has refused to leave the protest site.
The CJP took social media by storm soon after its launch on May 16, following a controversy over remarks made by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, which were widely interpreted as him likening unemployed youths to "cockroaches".
The original X handle of the digital satirical outfit was withheld in India on May 21, following which the group resurfaced with a new handle, 'Cockroach is Back'.