'Season 2 of Jantar-Mantar Will Begin Soon': CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday said that the “Season 2 of Jantar Mantar” would begin soon as he alleged that pressure was being exerted to prevent the group from holding a volunteers’ meeting in Delhi.

“Many people were commenting on Instagram when Season 2 of ‘Jantar-Mantar’ will begin. I want to tell them that Season 2 of ‘Jantar-Mantar’ is going to start very soon,” Dipke said.

The reference is to the student-led agitation held at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar last month over examination paper leaks, student suicides and demands for reforms in the education system. CJP subsequently said it would continue functioning as a pressure group rather than enter electoral politics.

CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said Dipke’s reference to “Season 2” should not be understood as being limited to another protest at Jantar Mantar.

“This itself is Season 2,” Das told ANI.

“Protests are taking place across the country against such incompetent governments and officers. On behalf of CJP, we are now embarking on a nationwide ‘listening tour’ to hear what the public has to say. We will run a campaign, and we are prioritising the issue of education starting from Independence Day,” he added.

Dipke Alleges ‘Pressure From Above’ Over Delhi Venue

Dipke also alleged that CJP faced difficulties securing a venue for its volunteers’ meeting in Delhi because hall owners were under pressure not to accommodate the group.

“We were scheduled to hold our volunteers' meet in Delhi today... We were looking for a hall, but no one would rent us one. Everyone kept saying there was pressure from above,” he told reporters.

Dipke said CJP eventually managed to book a venue and had a receipt confirming the arrangement, but alleged that the owners were subsequently threatened.

“We had managed to secure this hall with great difficulty. We even have the receipt for it. However, the owners received threats this morning. They were told that if they allowed the CJP meeting to take place here, they would be hung upside down,” he claimed.

Dipke blamed the BJP for the alleged pressure, saying: “All of this is being done by the BJP. Their actions and words clearly reveal that they are afraid of the country's youth. If they think such petty actions will frighten us, they are sorely mistaken.”

CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka also questioned the Delhi Police over the allegations.

“What is the Delhi Police doing about this. Has law and order completely collapsed in Delhi? Is the Delhi Police operating solely for the BJP? The question for the Delhi Police is: Will it operate for the people of Delhi?” Ranka said.

CJP Turns Focus To Government Schools

Alongside its plans for further mobilisation, CJP is also preparing to launch a campaign focused on government schools in rural areas.

Dipke said the “School Thik Karo” campaign would begin on August 15 and focus on improving basic infrastructure in village schools.

“This campaign is aimed at fixing the village schools across the country that have been neglected for so many years,” Dipke told ANI.

Das also promoted the campaign on X, writing: “The manner in which the governments have ignored our schools is unacceptable. It’s time we FIX them. ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign.”

The initiative is expected to begin from Dipke’s village in Hingoli, Maharashtra, and will involve sarpanches, parents and local residents in identifying and improving deficiencies in government school infrastructure.

The campaign marks CJP’s effort to expand its activities beyond examination-related protests, while its proposed nationwide “listening tour” is intended to gather public grievances and identify issues for future campaigns.