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Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The mother of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday claimed that her son had received a video threat coercing him to join the BJP or face severe consequences against his family.

Speaking to a Marathi news channel here ahead of Abhijeet’s return from New Delhi, his mother, Anita Dipke, said that the intimidation forced the parents to flee their home and take shelter at a relative’s residence in the Konkan region for 16 days.

Abhijeet formed the CJP, a satirical online movement on May 16, following remarks made during a Supreme Court hearing by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant. It transformed from an online parody into a nation-wide youth-led protest movement that culminated in the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan last week.

Abhijeet was living in Boston, USA, when he formed the CJP. He subsequently returned to India to transition the digital campaign into street protests.

“Abhijeet received threats but initially did not tell us. He mentioned a video and advised me not to watch it,” his mother said, adding, “In the clip, he was warned that if he does not join the BJP, his parents would be dealt with sternly.”

She said Abhijeet later asked the parents to move out of their house and stay somewhere else for a few days considering the threat.

“Abhijeet told me that he himself was not afraid of such threats, but asked us to stay away from home as we are not used to such things. After that, we decided to move out. We went to our relative’s residence in Konkan, where we stayed for 16 days,” Anita Dipke said.

”He was worried as he was not with us at that time and also because his father suffers from low blood pressure,” she added.

His father said that being involved in social work means one will have to face criticism.

“But there are people who applaud your work. People whose thinking is ‘fixed’ indulge in criticism, while others deliberate on the happenings before reacting,” he said.

Dipke’s mother said Abhijeet was afraid of his father, and narrated an old incident to prove her point.

“Once he brought a plumber home for some repair work. However, the plumber broke the pipe, which led to water getting accumulated in the entire house. That day, he was supposed to travel somewhere around 5 pm. But he packed some clothes and stepped out at 12 pm to avoid facing the wrath of his father,” she said.

”He got the fault fixed immediately. But I did not tell his father about the incident for the next six months,” she added.

Seeks action over pellet gun use

Asserting that student protesters are “not terrorists,” Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday demanded action against officials who ordered pellet gun firing at Jantar Mantar on July 20, warning that the youth will “change the government” if police harassment continues. Returning home after a month-long protest in New Delhi that led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak, Dipke claimed police across multiple states are visiting student activists’ homes and threatening them with arrest.

“The government should behave well now. The blood of students was spilt on the streets on July 20 (during the March to Parliament). It was really bad. Wasn’t it enough, now that the students are still being troubled? In many states, police are visiting the houses of students and threatening them with arrests,” he told reporters at the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar airport.

Dipke also sought strict legal action against officials who authorised the use of pellet guns against student demonstrators at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and warned that the government should not presume that students’ anger has decreased after Pradhan’s resignation.

“Whether it be Amit Shah (or anyone else), action should be taken against the person who gave orders to fire pellet guns,” Dipke said.

He also warned that if need be, the students may launch a fresh agitation on a “much bigger scale”.

“These students are not terrorists. They are the future of our country. If the future of the country is troubled in such a way, just as Dharmendra Pradhan had to step down…Tomorrow, we will go and change the government if it doesn’t fall in line,” the CJP founder added.

Arriving in his hometown, he said he was looking forward to meeting his parents. ”I am coming home after almost 40 days. Since I arrived in India, protests were going on. Then I was at Jantar Mantar in Delhi for almost 36 days. The agitation turned out to be successful and the country’s students won…I have come here and I am happy that I am going to meet my parents,” Dipke said.

‘Modi should resign as PM and become an influencer’

Replying to a question, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should resign and become a social media influencer, “something he is very good at”.

The CJP leader visited the statue of Dr B R Ambedkar near Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University to pay respects to the chief architect of the Constitution before heading to his house in Waluj MIDC area.

Talking to reporters at his home later, he questioned the use of pellet guns against the protesters in Delhi.

”What was the reason for using pellet guns? Pellet guns should not be used against anyone. They (students) are citizens of our country and not terrorists. Whether it be (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah, action should be taken against the person who gave orders to fire pellet guns,” Dipke said.

Asked about the celebration by CJP volunteers following Pradhan’s resignation, which was criticised in some quarters, Dipke said there was nothing wrong with it.

”The volunteers were sitting in the harsh sun and in the rain for thirty-six days. What is wrong (with celebrating) after such a big victory. What does the BJP do after winning elections? The volunteers did not block roads like the BJP people do,” he said.

”Did the BJP not feel any shame in felicitating Dharmendra Pradhan in Parliament after students had committed suicide,” Dipke further asked.

When asked whether the CJP would launch another agitation, Dipke said the government was forcing it to do so.

“The government is forcing us to start a protest against….it should stop troubling the students. The anger is still there among students, because their anger was not against just one minister, but against the entire government. The government should fall in line, else the students will do it,” he said.

Dipke criticises Pradhan’s successor, calls him weird

The 30-year-old activist criticised the appointment of Pralhad Joshi as new Education Minister and called him a “weird” man.

“If the Education Minister of the country applauds rapists, this means another weird man has been brought in after removing Dharmendra Pradhan. What message is being given to the country? They cannot do anything else because their party is full of goons. People like Ram Rahim (a rape convict) come out on parole during their tenure. This government supports goons and rapists,” he alleged.

Asked about Yoga guru and entrepreneur Ramdev’s comments that Gen Z, which led the stir at Jantar Mantar, has defamed India’s culture. Dipke took a dig at him and advised him to look after the business of his company Patanjali Ayurved.

“Gen Z can handle the country and its culture well. He (Ramdev) should concentrate on Patanjali else it may go out of business,” Dipke remarked.