India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government will lose power in the 2029 general election, Abhijit Deepke, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), has predicted.
Deepke made the remarks while addressing a protest meeting against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, according to a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI) on Saturday.
The Gen-Z activist, who leads the online movement associated with the Cockroach Janata Party, urged people to prepare for a change in the central government, stressing that political change could only be achieved through elections.
He also called for the restoration of a fully independent and impartial electoral system in India.
Deepke accused the NDA government of declaring a war against the country’s youth to protect the chief election commissioner. He questioned why Gyanesh Kumar was so important to the central government.
Recalling his arrest alongside fellow CJP activists Saurav Das and Ashutosh Rankar for entering Delhi’s Jantar Mantar carrying the Indian national flag, Deepke said he would continue to carry the tricolour wherever he went.
He said he and his fellow activists had been jailed for displaying the national flag, comparing the incident to the restrictions imposed during British colonial rule.
‘They Are Trying to Control Everything’
Drawing a comparison between the current government and British colonial rule, Deepke alleged that the authorities were attempting to restrict people’s fundamental freedoms.
He accused the central government of increasingly interfering in citizens’ personal choices, including what they eat, whom they love and marry, and whom they vote for.
“They first tried to control what you eat, then whom you love and marry, and now they have reached a point where they want to control whom you vote for,” he said.
He further alleged that the SIR exercise was being used to influence electoral outcomes in favour of the ruling establishment.
Deepke also accused the government of targeting young protesters for questioning those in power and alleged that the BJP was using religious divisions and communal tensions for political gain.
Rejecting the government’s alleged portrayal of young activists as anarchists, he said they were followers of the ideals of B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi.
“We are Ambedkarites, we are Gandhians. Do not dare to call us anarchists,” he said.
Deepke acknowledged that previous governments had not been perfect but argued that India had been more democratic in the past, with greater freedom to criticise the prime minister.
He said the country had largely lost its voice over the past 10 to 12 years, adding that the protest at Jantar Mantar had helped people regain their confidence and willingness to speak out.
The meeting at Rajendra Maidan drew a large gathering of people from different age groups, along with representatives of youth and socio-cultural organisations. Cultural performances were also held during the event.
Earlier, a protest march led by actor Prakash Raj was organised from Marine Drive to Rajendra Maidan.
Source: Press Trust of India (PTI) and India Today, as cited by Dhaka Post.
COMMENTS