Exclusive | Abhijeet Dipke: 'Ready for arrest; will stay here, won't return to US'

Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), says he is returning to India "for good" and is prepared to face arrest as he launches an indefinite protest demanding the resignation of the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over ongoing controversies surrounding examinations and education-related institutions.

Against the backdrop of concerns raised over CBSE, NEET, CUET and SSC-GD examinations, Dipke says the youth-led movement intends to press for accountability.

In an exclusive interview on The Federal's AI With Sanket episode, Dipke speaks about his return to India, the planned protest, concerns expressed by his family, allegations of political backing, and the growing student-led movement.

Also read: Cockroach Janta Party, in its first presser, seeks Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation

What do you plan to do when you land in India?

I plan to participate in a peaceful protest, which is my constitutional right as an Indian citizen. More than eight lakh people have signed our petition demanding the resignation of the Education Minister. As we all know, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding CBSE, NEET, CUET and SSC-GD examinations, and the situation does not seem to be improving.

Even yesterday, there were reports that CBSE servers were not functioning properly and that the revaluation process could face further delays. The crisis just does not seem to end. We need accountability.

Do you fear that you may be stopped or arrested before reaching the protest site?

I would not call it fear. I would call it awareness. I am aware that such a possibility exists, and I am prepared for it.

If they want to arrest me, they can. But I want to make it clear that I am returning to my own country to exercise a fundamental right granted to me by the Constitution of India.

I am following the Constitution and exercising my constitutional rights. It is up to the authorities whether they follow the Constitution and allow a citizen to express his voice in a democratic society.

Also read: Why e-Commerce brand known for Bengali-themed T-shirts chose the cockroach for its new collection

Is the June 6 protest a one-day event or do you intend to continue it?

It will continue until the Education Minister resigns.

So you intend to stay in India and not return to the United States?

That is correct. I am coming back for good. Over the last few days, after receiving attention online and in the media, I received several job offers from people who reached out to me. However, I told them that I need to return to India because I cannot abandon this movement. I need to take it forward.

What about your studies in the United States?

I have already completed my graduation. I was applying for jobs there.

There were reports of police presence at your family home and concerns about your parents' safety. How are they doing?

They are safe, but they remain very concerned. In fact, they were not in favour of me returning to India and they are still trying to persuade me to stay in the United States. They keep telling me not to come back because they fear I could be attacked or jailed, and they do not want to lose their son.

But I have told them that nothing is going to happen to me because I am returning to my own country. I am not going to another nation. I am coming home. I have complete faith in the Constitution of India, and I believe the Constitution will protect me.

Where will this movement be based? How do you plan to convert online support into a ground movement?

Many people assumed that the 'cockroaches' were lazy, but that is not what I am seeing. I have been receiving hundreds of messages. People have been posting continuously on Instagram saying that they will come to the airport to receive me and then proceed to Jantar Mantar.

To be honest, I did not expect such a massive response. The support has been overwhelming.

Many people are reaching out to me and saying, "Do not worry. We will not let anything happen to you. If we have to go to jail with you, we are ready for that too." So the cockroaches of this country are not as lazy as some people believed.

The Aam Aadmi Party appears to be the only political party openly supporting you. Critics say this resembles the anti-corruption movement that eventually led to the formation of a political party. How do you respond?

As I have said before, there is no political involvement in the CJP. It is entirely a youth-led movement. No political party is involved, and no political party will be involved in the future.

I may have had an association with the Aam Aadmi Party in the past, but I am no longer associated with it. In fact, I only learned from you that Manish Sisodia had tweeted in support of the movement. I was not aware of it before.

I am not in touch with any political party. I am only in touch with the youth of this country, and they are looking forward to this movement.

I also want to ask why every public movement is immediately linked to a political organisation. India itself was born out of a movement. Had there been no freedom movement, we would still have remained a British colony.

Similarly, during the Emergency, public mobilisation played a key role. Without such movements, the country might still have been under Emergency rule.

Why are we trying to discredit public movements? How is that healthy for a democracy? Public movements help strengthen democracy.

Is the crisis affecting 22 lakh NEET students manufactured? Is the crisis affecting 16 lakh CBSE students manufactured? Is the crisis affecting 16 lakh CUET students manufactured? What about the 40 lakh SSC-GD candidates?

More than one crore students have been affected. Are people really suggesting that all these issues have been artificially created so that someone can launch a movement and build a platform for themselves?

Why are we not addressing the real issue? Why are we trying to discredit and dismiss a movement that reflects the genuine dissatisfaction of young people?

Do you believe there is genuine public anger that can be channelled into a larger movement?

Absolutely. We need to ask ourselves an important question. What is the Cockroach Janta Party? It began as satire.

Why did young people feel more comfortable supporting a movement born out of satire than supporting established political parties?

That is a very serious question. People are willing to follow a movement that started as a joke rather than trust mainstream politics. What could be more worrying than that?

That tells you everything about the current political ecosystem in the country.

If you are detained or arrested, are you prepared for the consequences?

Yes, absolutely. I am fully aware of that possibility and fully prepared for it.

As I have said repeatedly, I am simply returning to my country to exercise my constitutional rights. I intend to do everything peacefully, democratically, and within the framework of the Constitution.

It is up to the government to decide whether it will uphold the Constitution and allow us to exercise our constitutional rights.

(The content above has been transcribed from video using a fine-tuned AI model. To ensure accuracy, quality, and editorial integrity, we employ a Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) process. While AI assists in creating the initial draft, our experienced editorial team carefully reviews, edits, and refines the content before publication. At The Federal, we combine the efficiency of AI with the expertise of human editors to deliver reliable and insightful journalism.)