Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday, August 18, targeted CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke. He alleged that Dipke is an Aam Aadmi Party worker who is trying to portray himself as a student leader in youth-led protests at Jantar Mantar.
In an interview with ANI, Rijiju said that the concerns of the protesting students are valid. However, he alleged that AAP tried to hijack the movement for its own benefit.
Students’ demands are valid, allegations against political parties
On the question of youth leadership emerging from recent student movements, Rijiju said that the government takes students’ grievances seriously. He differentiated between student movements and the use of movements for political gain.
Rijiju said, “The concerns of the students are valid, but the attempt by the Aam Aadmi Party and others to hijack the situation is not right. Abhijeet Dipke is from Maharashtra, but he is an Aam Aadmi Party worker. How did he become a ‘student’?”
He said that the government is ready to talk directly with students on their genuine demands. At the same time, Rijiju accused political parties of taking advantage of the movement after electoral setbacks.
Rijiju said, “Students have a passion and they can be talked to. But when political parties try to hide behind students and gain political advantage, it is absolutely not right.”
Rijiju on BJP’s connect with Gen Z
Kiren Rijiju also spoke about the perception regarding BJP’s connect with Gen Z. He dismissed the claim that BJP does not have a connect with the youth.
He said that in Asian societies, young people are often expected to listen to their elders. Therefore, building harmony between generations is a gradual process.
Rijiju said that continuous and active dialogue is necessary to bridge the gap with Gen Z. He said, “There is no lack of connection. They are our own children. Our society is Asian. In Asia, people are connected by family ties. It is not like Western society.”
He said, “We are connected. We live in a family environment where children are expected to listen to elders. If someone keeps inciting them to constantly put forward their demands, it will take time to bridge that gap. We have to listen to them and also explain things to them. There should be continuous dialogue.”
Discussion on old association with AAP
Before the start of the satirical movement of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), Abhijeet Dipke had worked with the Aam Aadmi Party. This satirical movement began after the “cockroach” and “parasites of society” remarks made by Chief Justice Suryakant of India during a Supreme Court hearing.
Deepke’s old X posts from 2021 to 2024 also came to light. These posts contained statements of support for AAP, which further fueled speculation about his current relationship with the party.
CJP Will Currently Work as a Pressure Group
CJP has stated that it will continue to work as a pressure group for now. The organization said, We are not forming a political party. We will only work as a pressure group.
CJP is currently running the ‘School Theek Karo’ (Fix the School) campaign to bring to light the problems existing in government schools in villages.
The large protest led by CJP from June to July received support from various political parties. These included AAP and the Samajwadi Party. The protest concluded with the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
