NEW DELHI: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday targeted Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, alleging that he is an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) worker trying to portray himself as a student leader amid the youth-led protests at Jantar Mantar.Rijiju told news agency ANI that the concerns raised by the protesting students were genuine, but alleged that the AAP had attempted to “hijack” the movement for its own political interests.Responding to a question on whether he welcomed the emergence of young leaders through the recent student-led movements, Rijiju said the government takes students’ concerns seriously, but stressed that student activism should not be confused with political opportunism.“The students’ concerns are valid, but the attempt by the Aam Aadmi Party and others to hijack the situation is not right. Abhijeet Dipke is from Maharashtra, but he is an Aam Aadmi Party worker. How did he become a ‘student’?” he said.He added that the government remains open to engaging directly with students over their genuine demands, but accused political parties of exploiting the movement following electoral setbacks.“Students have a certain passion, and one can engage in dialogue with them, but when political parties try to grind their own political axes by hiding behind students–that is simply not right,” he said.Kiren Rijiju addressed perceptions about the BJP’s relationship with Gen Z, rejecting the notion that the party is out of touch with younger voters.He said traditional Asian cultural norms often encourage young people to listen to their elders, making generational alignment a gradual process. Rijiju stressed the need for continuous and active dialogue with Gen Z to bridge the generational gap.“There is no lack of connection. They are our own children. Ours is an Asian society. People in Asia are bound together by family ties. It is not like Western society. We remain connected. We live in a family environment where children are expected to listen to their elders. If one keeps provoking them to simply keep making demands, it will take time to bridge that gap; we need to listen to them and also explain things to them. There must be a continuous dialogue,” he said.Dipke had previously worked with the Aam Aadmi Party before launching the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a movement that emerged following Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s remarks about “cockroaches” and “parasites of society” during a Supreme Court hearing.Dipke’s old posts on X, dating from 2021 to 2024 and expressing support for the AAP, have further fuelled speculation about his current association with the party.The CJP has also conveyed that it is going to remain as a pressure group at present, stating, “We are not forming a political party; we will operate solely as a pressure group.” It is currently conducting a ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign to highlight the issues present in government schools in villages.The massive CJP-led protest from June to July, which culminated in the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, also received support from several political parties, including the AAP and Samajwadi Party.(With agency inputs)
