Cockroach Janata Party founder and activists protest Special Intensive Revision in Bengaluru

BENGALURU Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke described Mahatma Gandhi as the soul, B.R. Ambedkar as the backbone, and Jawaharlal Nehru as the mind of India during a mass protest at Freedom Park against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

Addressing a gathering of over 5,000 participants at a ‘People’s Tribunal’ on Thursday, Dipke criticized the RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, contrasting Nehru’s legacy of universal voting rights with allegations that the current administration strips voting access from non-supporters. He accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of deleting votes from the draft electoral rolls on the instructions of Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Dipke linked the SIR exercise to the BJP’s reduced tally of 240 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, claiming that approximately 13% to 14% of votes had been deleted to impact opposition strongholds and regional parties. He also criticized the delimitation exercise, stating it would diminish south India’s representation in Parliament.

Actor-activist Prakash Raj, who also addressed the tribunal, called alleged vote deletions a direct insult to citizen dignity, targeting Adivasis, the poor, Muslims, and minorities. Raj demanded the complete cancellation of the SIR rather than the mere resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, warning that peaceful street protests would continue until voting rights are fully restored.

The protest featured slogans, national and Kannada flags, and placards supporting the anti-SIR cause. Other notable attendees included YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, Kannada writer Devanuru Mahadeva, CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, and student leader Aishie Ghosh.