07 August,2026 02:17 PM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondent
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) convener Abhijeet Dipke. File Photo
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) convener Abhijeet Dipke on Friday urged the BJP to follow the advice of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, who recently said that members of Gen Z participating in protests should not be branded as anti-national.
Dipke alleged that there was a disconnect between the BJP's response to recent youth protests and Bhagwat's remarks, and called on the ruling party to align its position with that of the RSS chief.
Addressing reporters a day after Mohan Bhagwat's interaction with members of Gen Z in Mumbai, Dipke said the RSS chief had acknowledged that the recent protests by students and young job aspirants stemmed from genuine concerns.
Bhagwat had said on Thursday that the grievances of young people were legitimate and that participation in protests should not lead to them being labelled anti-national.
His interaction with members of Gen Z and Gen Alpha has been viewed as one of the RSS's major outreach initiatives to young people in recent years.
Referring to statements made by BJP leaders during the recent protests, Dipke alleged that the ruling party had adopted a different approach from the RSS leadership.
"The most important statement of Mohan Bhagwat was that the protesting youth should not be called anti-national and their issues are genuine," Dipke said.
"Earlier, the BJP president called us a virus, and former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan called us the B-team of terrorists. Now they should listen to Mohan Bhagwat because he is the mentor and godfather of the BJP," he remarked.
Dipke further alleged that there was little coordination between the BJP and its ideological mentor on the issue of youth protests.
"If they are not listening to their mentor, this is something worrying. If this is the thing, Bhagwat should speak to the BJP once," he said.
He claimed the ruling party continued to take a position different from the one articulated by the RSS chief regarding student protesters.
The CJP leader also demanded an investigation into videos circulating on social media in connection with the recent protests at Jantar Mantar.
"I believe that the videos coming onto social media should be investigated. If investigated, the fake videos originating from the (BJP) IT cell will be exposed," he alleged.
Dipke said the party had sent teams to Jharkhand to support aspirants protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations in the state.
He claimed that if concerns raised by students and job aspirants continue to be ignored, isolated demonstrations could develop into a broader nationwide movement.
"We will try to bring people together on the issues that concern the youth. If people come together, leaving aside political and ideological differences, they can put pressure on the government, much like what we witnessed during the Jantar Mantar agitation," Dipke said.
(With inputs from PTI)
