2 CJP leaders in judicial custody: Dipke slams government, claims it is imposing ‘unofficial emergency’

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Talking to reporters in Nagpur, CJP founder Dipke sought to know what offence CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka committed by waving the tricolour at Jantar Mantar. File | Photo Credit: PTI

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday (October 14, 2026) challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to officially impose Emergency in the country, accusing him of cowardice.

He was speaking against the backdrop of the arrests of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after they unfurled the tricolour at the denotified protest site in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Tuesday (October 13).

“Don’t be such a coward. If you want to impose Emergency, make it official. Don’t hide behind these cowardly tactics where you use the police force, the law to hide behind people. Show some guts. You are crushing dissent,” Mr. Dipke said, while speaking with reporters in Nagpur.

He slammed the government for arresting Mr. Das and Mr. Ranka. “What was their crime? Which country’s flag will be unfurled in India now? They were unfurling our own flag at Jantar Mantar,” he said.

Refuting speculation that the CJP will support the Opposition INDIA bloc or will register as a separate political party, Mr. Dipke insisted that it will continue to remain a separate “pressure group”.

“Our intention is the same,” he said, referring to the Opposition alliance and its protest march to the Supreme Court on Monday (October 12). However, he pointed out that 2.5 crore youth supported the CJP due to their belief that the group did not align with any political party. “We are an independent pressure group. Our allegiance lies with our 25 million supporters,” he said.

Criticising the top court, the CJP founder accused it of helping the beleaguered Election Commission of India. “Supreme Court has aided the ECI in breaking parties, in seizing their symbols. Even during vote deletion, what was the SC doing?” he asked.

“During voting in West Bengal, the court asked voters to vote the next time. Will it ask Narendra Modi not to fight elections this time, and fight it the next time? If you can’t say that to Narendra Modi, how can you say that to the voters? The INDIA bloc is trying to save democracy. They have every right to do so,” he said.

On the allegations levelled by senior advocate Harish Salve about a foreign hand behind the protests, Mr. Dipke appealed to him to hand over the evidence to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He said the Centre had so far been unsuccessful in finding any proof to back such allegations which were being made against him and the CJP for some time.

He also hit out at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for his statements about the CJP making headlines in Pakistan and China. “Eknath Shinde should look at himself first. Why are Pakistan and China being dragged into this? He should focus on the drought in the State,” he said, reminding the State government of its responsibility to provide aid to the suffering farmers.