The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has once again threatened to launch a nationwide agitation. The party has warned that it will begin protests across the country from 2 October, Gandhi Jayanti, if Chief Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by Saturday.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced the decision in a post on X on Friday. A day earlier, on Thursday, the party had demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation within 48 hours and warned of a nationwide agitation if he failed to step down.
In his post on X, Abhijeet Dipke wrote, “If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by tomorrow, the Cockroach Janata Party will begin its nationwide protest from Mumbai on October 2 and take it to cities across India.”
He added, “This Gandhi Jayanti, let us pledge to save democracy.”
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Dipke had said, “If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign within 48 hours, the Cockroach Janata Party will start a nationwide agitation. We will not step back until Gyanesh Kumar resigns.”
The chief election commissioner has come under criticism following reports of differences within the Election Commission of India over several issues, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, access to voter data and the registration of new voters.
The Election Commission, however, has said that differing views expressed during internal deliberations do not constitute decisions of the Commission and maintained that its decisions were taken unanimously.
Abhijeet Dipke claimed that a report concerning the Election Commission had raised serious questions over the role of Gyanesh Kumar. He accused the Chief Election Commissioner of undermining democracy in the country and demanded his immediate resignation.
Dipke alleged that the functioning of the Election Commission under Gyanesh Kumar had weakened the democratic system.
According to him, in a democracy, people choose their government through elections, but under the present circumstances, the government is deciding who will be allowed to vote and who will not, he alleged.
He further accused the system of moving away from democracy towards an autocratic model.
CJP co-convenor Saurav Das also criticised the country’s electoral system at the press conference. He alleged that the present system had turned the country into a “huge joke” and claimed that the system was corrupt and broken.
He said that the youth of the country were demanding change and calling for fundamental reforms.
