New Delhi, 07 October—Announcing a joint protest with other student and youth organisations beginning from October 10, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) today called for nationwide mobilisation ahead of their agitation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, warning that the agitation could be prolonged and would continue until the electoral system is overhauled.
CJP co-convener Saurav Das urged people across the country to travel to Delhi and prepare for a prolonged agitation.
“This fight is not going to be easy. I appeal to everyone across the country to join us, book train and flight tickets,” he said.
Das said the protesters would not step back even if Kumar resigns, arguing that the electoral system needs to be cleaned up. He also alleged that the BJP’s pushback reflects a “lust for eternal power”.
Underlining the unity of purpose and common will, AISA president Neha Bora said there was no division between the students-led mobilisation and the opposition parties’ protests.
Common people, civil society, opposition parties and student organisations stand on one side and the EC and the BJP on the other, she said.
“There are no divisions. We, the people of India, versus the BJP. If we lead this fight unitedly, we will do it effectively,” Bora said.
The CJP’s demands include Kumar’s resignation and initiation of criminal proceedings against him, freezing the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, halting upcoming elections, restoring the January 2025 voters’ list and ordering an independent inquiry.
The group has also demanded repeal of the 2023 law governing appointments to the EC and establishment of an independent and credible selection process.
Neha Bora backed the INDIA bloc MPs who tried to march towards the EC office on Tuesday demanding Kumar’s resignation. Bora said elected representatives have a duty to take to the streets to raise people’s issues and defend their rights.
“That’s what the MPs of the INDIA bloc did,” she said, adding that the CJP and student organisations of opposition parties will lend strength to the October 10 protest.
“If ever there was a time to desert the BJP, it is now,” Bora said, urging those in the BJP camp to join people seeking to defend democracy and the Constitution.
The call for unity comes days after online sparring between the CJP and sections aligned with the Congress.
Das said the participants were united regardless of political affiliations and ideologies in a larger fight to change a “broken system”.
Asked whether the organisers would obtain permission for the protest, Das said they submitted a formal intimation at the Parliament Street police station on Wednesday and provided undertakings.
“Please don’t use the word permission. Who is Delhi Police to give us permission?” he said, adding that intimation is sufficient.
“We will cooperate with Delhi Police and we hope Delhi Police will cooperate with us,” he added.
SFI’s Adarsh Shaji accused Kumar of undermining Indian democracy, describing the confrontation as a fight between “democracy and autocracy”.
In July, a CJP-led agitation over the NEET paper leak had forced Dharmendra Pradhan to resign as Union education minister. The group is now seeking to sustain street pressure against Kumar ahead of the October 10 protest.
At a joint press conference here, the CJP, the All- India Students’ Association (AISA), the All- India Students’ Federation (AISF) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) backed a united campaign against the Election Commission (EC). The Aam Aadmi Party’s student wing, Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP), also participated.
The groups backed the INDIA bloc MPs’ October 6 protest march and sought to frame the confrontation as a broader struggle between people defending democracy and the BJP.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
