Abhijeet Dipke, founder and national convenor of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has drawn attention with a light-hearted comment about fellow party leader Saurav Das after Dipke and co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka were allegedly attacked in separate incidents in Jaipur.
In an interview with News24 with Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, Dipke joked that the three leaders took turns taking on alleged attacks. “We are the kind of people who come back after getting beaten up. I got beaten up, he got beaten up, and only Saurav is left,” Dipke said. He then turned to Das and said, “Tera bhi number aayega,” meaning “Your turn will come too.”
The comment was made in the context of alleged attacks on CJP members and volunteers in Rajasthan. Dipke seems to have made the comment in a joking tone, but it highlighted the growing concerns within the new political party about its members.
Dipke was allegedly attacked in Jaipur in June, just hours before he was set to meet a group of protesters. Videos purported to show the incident circulated on the internet and appeared to show Dipke being carried on the shoulders of supporters when people in the crowd allegedly grabbed his scarf, slapped him several times, and attempted to pull him down.
Dipke said some people linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were responsible for the assault. “There were some people belonging to RSS, and there is nothing new in it,” Dipke said, repeating his claim about the incident. The claim remains an accusation and has been the subject of political controversy.
A separate incident involving Ashutosh Ranka and other CJP volunteers was reported last week when the group of people visited a government school in Jaipur's Bagru assembly constituency. Ranka claimed that he and others of the CJP team were assaulted in the incident. One volunteer was also injured with a broken arm, he said.
A purported video of the incident also emerged, showing a group of people confronting the CJP team. Chants of “Jai Shri Ram” could be heard in the footage. The circumstances of the confrontation have become part of the larger political conflict between the party and rival political groups in Rajasthan.
The incidents have also fueled competing political allegations. Rajasthan BJP minister Jawahar Singh Bedham claimed Congress workers were behind activities linked to the CJP. Bedham told ANI that people belonging to the Congress were using the CJP as a “mask” when visiting villages and trying to create disturbances.
“People of Congress wear different masks, visit villages, and want to disturb the peace there. People are giving them a response,” Bedham said. He further alleged that Congress workers were “wearing this CJP mask” and claimed that people had stopped caring about the party.
The allegations from both sides have added political dimensions to the incidents involving CJP members. The party, however, has continued to draw attention through its activities and criticism of issues affecting students and local communities.
As a result, Dipke's remark about Saurav Das being “next” was made as a joke in the interview and not as a prediction of another attack. But the comment has been the subject of a series of alleged confrontations involving CJP members and has attracted attention online and in political circles.
The CJP leadership has explained the alleged assaults as part of the challenges faced by its members in carrying out political and social activities. Rival political voices have questioned the party’s activities and alleged links with opposition groups. And with accusations from both camps, the incidents are likely to remain part of Rajasthan’s ongoing political discourse.
