Bangla Press Desk: Abhijit Dipke, a leader of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), has said the youth-led movement in India cannot be compared with the movements that led to changes of government in Nepal and Bangladesh.
He made the remarks in a video message posted on social media platform X on Tuesday.
Dipke spoke in support of jailed CJP leaders Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Rankar. He stressed that their calm and peaceful conduct did not amount to violent protest but instead reflected Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of Satyagraha. He urged people to focus on the non-violent approach of protesters in India rather than events in other countries.
Dipke said those who repeatedly point to events in France should feel ashamed and look at India instead. He said Saurabh Das and Ashutosh had gone to jail with smiles on their faces and had done nothing like what was happening elsewhere. Even after learning that they were being unlawfully imprisoned, they chose the path of peace and harmony, entering prison without harbouring anger or hatred, he added.
Dipke strongly objected to equating protests within India with government changes brought about amid violent movements abroad. He also highlighted the difference between the conduct of the jailed activists and that of protesters involved in unrest elsewhere.
“People talk about Nepal or Bangladesh, but look at our comrades. They went to jail with smiles on their faces without falling for anyone’s provocation. They carry Gandhi’s ideals in their hearts. They smiled on their way to prison and continued smiling inside the courtroom. You cannot instil hatred in them; the hatred is within you. Everyone can clearly see where your hatred has brought this country today,” Dipke said.
He argued that the activists’ imprisonment was not an attempt at a disorderly uprising but a form of moral awakening linked to India’s independence movement.
“Without drawing a direct comparison, it can be said that this reflects what Mahatma Gandhi did. When he was sent to jail, he went quietly because it was his Satyagraha. Ashutosh and Saurabh are practising the same Satyagraha. By enduring hardship inside prison, they are awakening the conscience of this country. I can no longer wait for their release,” he said.
The CJP and opposition parties in India have been protesting against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The main opposition Congress party has strongly rejected attempts to compare the protests with violent civil unrest in France and other European countries. It has described the movement as entirely peaceful and constitutional, aimed at ensuring free and fair elections.
Congress issued the strong response after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that an “anti-India network” was conspiring to bring about a “change of government” in India, similar to recent unrest in Bangladesh and France.
Source: ANI and The News Mill
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