After its agitation at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is now eyeing Jaipur as its next protest destination. The outfit's founder and convenor, Abhijeet Dipke, on Friday gave the authorities a 48-hour deadline to begin repairs at a school and arrest those who allegedly attacked CJP activists.
The warning came after CJP activists, including co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka, were confronted by locals while trying to visit a primary school in Rampura-Kanwarpura village in Jaipur district. Dipke said he would travel to Jaipur and sit on a dharna outside the school if the authorities failed to act within the deadline.
48-hour ultimatum
"I will go to Jaipur if the school repair work doesn't begin and the BJP goons are not arrested within the next 48 hours," Dipke said in a video message. He also called on others to join the protest if the demands were not met.
The confrontation comes amid the CJP's School Thik Karo (fix the schools) campaign, which it launched on Aug 15. Its members have since been visiting schools to highlight the lack of amenities.
Earlier on Friday, Ranka and dozens of CJP activists tried to visit the primary school in Rampura-Kanwarpura. According to Ranka, they were attacked and forced to turn back by a group of locals, India Today reports.
"These are not the villagers from there, but goons summoned by the BJP," Ranka wrote on X after the confrontation.
Dipke also alleged in his video message that "Ashu [Ashutosh Ranka] and his team were attacked and beaten up by BJP goons". He claimed children were being taught in a buffalo shed and that Ranka had gone there to "expose" the situation.
Jaipur protest on the cards
"So, I want to say that if work to repair that school is not started within 48 hours, and those goons are not arrested, I will personally come to Jaipur and sit in front of the school until work to repair it begins," Dipke said.
His warning signals that Jaipur could become the CJP's next major protest site, with the outfit seeking to turn the dispute over the school into a wider campaign over the condition of educational facilities.
"I also request all of you. If they do not listen to us, all of you come to Jaipur. We will sit in Jaipur just as we sat at Jantar Mantar, and we will not back down," Dipke said.
The CJP convenor also demanded the withdrawal of a circular that, according to him, mandated that no one take photographs or videos of damaged schools.
Ranka shared Dipke's video message on X and said, "If the work doesn't start in the next 48 hours, everyone who doesn't want our children to study in cow shelters should come to Jaipur."
Also Watch:
From Jantar Mantar to schools
The CJP began as an online satire before taking its campaign to the streets. It started a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 6 and ended it on July 25 after the Union Education Minister resigned over the NEET-UG paper leak case.
The outfit has now shifted its attention to the condition of schools. The Jaipur confrontation appears to have given the campaign a new flashpoint, with Dipke's ultimatum raising the possibility of another larger protest if the CJP's demands are not met.
Whether Jaipur actually becomes the next Jantar Mantar for the CJP will depend on what happens after the 48-hour deadline. But Dipke's message makes the outfit's strategy clear: it is seeking to carry the momentum of its earlier agitation into its campaign over school infrastructure.
