The protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Delhi's Jantar Mantar has taken a significant turn as the party's founder, Abhijeet Dipke, issued a stern ultimatum to the government. Dipke stated that the government wasted their time by calling a delegation for talks and alleged that their mobile phones were confiscated during the meeting. He further claimed that the representatives were effectively kept under house arrest at the residence of JP Nadda. Consequently, Dipke announced that they would no longer go to the government for discussions; instead, the government must come to Jantar Mantar to address their concerns directly at the protest site.
Political Support and Legal Developments
The protest site saw a surge in political activity as prominent leaders arrived to show solidarity with the CJP members. NCP leaders Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule, along with AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, reached Jantar Mantar to meet the protesters and understand their grievances. Meanwhile, in a separate legal development, the Delhi High Court, acting on a petition filed by Gitanjali Angmo, ordered that Sonam Wangchuk be shifted to Medanta Hospital, while following the court's directive, 2 Medanta ambulances arrived at Safdarjung to facilitate the transfer, and he's expected to be shifted to the facility shortly for medical attention.
Threat of March to Police Headquarters
The CJP has issued a warning that if the individuals currently in police custody aren't released immediately, they will organize a march from Jantar Mantar to the Delhi Police Headquarters, while the party announced that they would hold a sit-in protest there starting at 8 PM. Sourav Das shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) confirming that he, along with Ashutosh Ranka and Deepak Balian, would participate in a peaceful protest outside the Delhi Police Headquarters at 8 PM to demand the release of their fellow protesters.
Internal Party Action and Burger Controversy
In a surprising internal move, the Cockroach Janta Party removed its spokesperson, Vijeta Dahiya, from her position on Tuesday. This decision followed the circulation of a video showing Dahiya eating a burger during the party's 'Parliament March' while police action was underway. The CJP issued a statement saying that Dahiya's behavior wasn't in line with the values of the movement and the seriousness of the protest. The party emphasized that such actions during a critical phase of the movement were unacceptable.
Vijeta Dahiya's Response to Dismissal
Responding to the criticism and her subsequent removal, Vijeta Dahiya posted a video of herself eating a burger to dismiss the controversy. She argued that people failed to see that she had not slept for 2 nights, just like others at the protest site. She questioned the backlash, stating, "Why did I eat a burger? Today this is a big issue, while so why does someone eat a burger? Because they're hungry. They want to eat a burger. That's all. So I was also very hungry, while " She maintained that her hunger was a natural human response and shouldn't have been turned into a controversy.