Abhijeet Dipke met Mamata Banerjee in Delhi and backed the INDIA bloc rally. The CJP will stay away to preserve its independent, politically neutral identity.Dipke meets Mamata Banerjee, says CJP won't join INDIA bloc rallyCockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday met Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee in Delhi, thanking her for supporting the outfit's youth-led protests and expressing solidarity with the INDIA bloc's rally against alleged "vote chori".However, Dipke clarified that the CJP would not join Sunday's opposition rally at Ramlila Maidan, maintaining that the organisation would retain its independent identity.Dipke said he met Banerjee to thank her for supporting the CJP's first protest at Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak issue and standing by its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka when the Delhi Police arrested them."I came here to thank Didi because she strongly supported our first Jantar Mantar movement and stood firmly with the youth movement.
Even when the Delhi Police arrested Saurav and Ashutosh, Didi stood firmly with us," he said. Asked whether the CJP would participate in Sunday's rally at Ramlila Maidan, Dipke said the organisation supported the protest but would not formally join it."We support tomorrow's protest and stand in solidarity with it.
However, the Cockroach Janta Party is an independent organisation and a neutral platform. We want to maintain that identity," he said.
He added that the CJP would extend support to all organisations fighting against alleged electoral fraud, regardless of their political affiliations."Anybody who fights against this vote theft will have our support. We will support all organisations," Dipke said.Banerjee, who is in Delhi to attend Sunday's INDIA bloc rally, praised Dipke and the young activists for their role in protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the Election Commission."They have extended their full support to tomorrow's rally, and we have extended all support to them as well.
They are the pioneers and founders of this movement. We must remember that," she told reporters.Banerjee said she was happy to meet the activists and acknowledged their efforts in sustaining the protests despite facing difficulties.She also invited Dipke and the other CJP activists to West Bengal to organise programmes in the state.
When reporters asked whether they would hold an event in Kolkata, Banerjee said the decision rested with the activists."That they will decide. It is their choice," she said.Dipke's meeting with Banerjee comes a day before the INDIA bloc's rally at Ramlila Maidan, where opposition parties are set to raise allegations of electoral irregularities and demand accountability from the Election Commission.While the CJP has expressed solidarity with the opposition's protest, Dipke's remarks underline the organisation's decision to maintain its independent and politically neutral identity rather than formally participate in the rally.- Ends