Cockroach Janta Party Founder Calls for Democratic Removal of Government at Kochi Protest

KOCHI — Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has called on the youth to remove the Narendra Modi-led government through the democratic electoral system, declaring that the nationwide campaign to protect democracy will be expanded across the country.

Speaking on Saturday at the ‘Jantar Mantar@Kochi’ protest, Dipke urged citizens to channel political challenges through wit, humour and persistence instead of anger, stating that this approach unnerves the administration. The demonstration and preceding rally from Marine Drive to Rajendra Maidan drew hundreds of participants, including young people, citizens, civil rights activists, and actor-activist Prakash Raj.

The protest was organised to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the cancellation of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls.

Carrying a tricolour flag, Dipke told the gathering that leadership changes must take place via the democratic electoral process, even if it requires waiting until the 2029 general elections. He criticised the deployment of heavy security forces during previous demonstrations in Delhi on October 10 and condemned recent detentions of protesters. He argued that using law enforcement to obstruct peaceful youth demonstrations demonstrates political fear rather than strength.

The demonstration in Kochi coincides with authorities moving to denotify Jantar Mantar in New Delhi as a designated protest site. Dismissing the measure, Dipke warned that suppressing one protest site would only lead to the emergence of a hundred more venues nationwide. He affirmed the group’s readiness to face imprisonment repeatedly to safeguard the Constitution and reform the system.

Dipke accused the administration of attempting to control citizens’ choices regarding food, marriage, and voting rights, and alleged that voter lists were being manipulated to disenfranchise political opponents. He described Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar, and Jawaharlal Nehru as the nation’s irreplaceable soul, backbone, and mind, respectively, and rejected allegations that the demonstrators were anarchists. He maintained that the movement operates strictly on Gandhian and Ambedkarite principles of peaceful dissent.

Additionally, Dipke accused the administration of yielding to foreign trade pressures while baselessly alleging that the CJP received foreign funding.

Earlier at the Kochi airport, Dipke told reporters that elections conducted under the current Chief Election Commissioner lacked trustworthiness due to systemic bias. He also noted that Keralam currently accounts for the highest number of registered CJP members in the country.