Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday said attempts to divide Hindus and Muslims through politics would not work in Maharashtra, as thousands gathered at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park for a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Addressing the gathering, Dipke called for unity between the two communities and said the country could progress only if Hindus and Muslims remained together.
“This country will only move ahead if Hindus and Muslims stay together, and whoever wants to do such politics, let them go to Pakistan and do such politics,” Dipke said.
The protest was organised by the CJP as part of its campaign against what it describes as irregularities in electoral rolls and the functioning of the Election Commission. Police had denied permission for the demonstration, but a large crowd gathered at Shivaji Park amid heavy security.
CJP Announces Delhi Protest
Dipke said the movement would be taken to Delhi if Gyanesh Kumar did not resign.
“If Gyanesh Kumar doesn’t resign, cockroaches from across India will march to Delhi and protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10,” he said in a post on X, describing the proposed protest as peaceful and calling on people seeking free and fair elections to participate.
Earlier at Shivaji Park, Dipke had announced a “Jantar Mantar 2.0” and issued a “Chalo Delhi” call.
CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde also demanded Kumar’s resignation and called for criminal proceedings against him. He further demanded that the 2025 voter lists be frozen and that the 2023 law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners be repealed.
Claims Over Electoral Rolls
During the protest, Dipke alleged that irregularities in electoral rolls had affected election results. He claimed that 13 crore voters had been deleted over two years and that 40 lakh voters were added to Maharashtra’s electoral rolls before the 2024 Assembly elections.
He also alleged voter deletions in constituencies linked to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. These claims were made at the protest and have not been independently established.
Responding to the BJP’s argument that opposition parties have also won elections in states including Telangana, Karnataka and Jharkhand, Dipke said, “When the match is fixed, not all balls are no-balls and not all catches are dropped.”
He also accused the BJP of attempting to weaken regional parties and described the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena as a “shell company”.
Actors, Activists Join Protest
The demonstration drew a large number of young people, with protesters carrying placards and Indian flags. Messages on some placards included “Gyanesh BRO, JUST RESIGN” and “Gaddaar Gyaanu Must Go”.
Groups including the Students’ Federation of India and Left-affiliated organisations participated in the demonstration. The Shiv Sena (UBT) also extended support to the protest.
Actors Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, filmmakers Vishal Bhardwaj and Hansal Mehta, singer and music director Vishal Dadlani, and Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi were among those reported to have attended.
The protest was held on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary and included references to non-violence, simplicity and BR Ambedkar. Songs including the title track of Rang De Basanti and AR Rahman’s Vande Mataram were also played.
A student protester, Aayan Patel, said, “Voting is everyone’s right. If that right is not protected, the future of the next generation will be difficult.”
