'Be prepared': CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke predicts BJP will lose power in 2029

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has predicted that the Narendra Modi-led government will be voted out in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, urging people to prepare for a change of government while demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Addressing a protest meeting in Kochi on Saturday as part of the party's 'Jantar Mantar at Kochi' campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Dipke said any change in government must take place through elections. "Be prepared for 2029. He will definitely go," Dipke said, referring to PM Modi.

He repeatedly asked the gathering whether the prime minister would lose power in the next general elections, drawing cheers from protesters. He linked the demand for Kumar's resignation to his call for an independent and impartial electoral system. "Gyanesh Kumar has to go. If he goes, Narendra Modi will also go," he said, alleging that the government was waging a war against young protesters to protect the chief election commissioner. Dipke also accused the Modi government of compromising India's interests in its dealings with US President Donald Trump. Responding to allegations that the CJP was being funded or directed by foreign forces to destabilise the country, he turned the charge against the government.

He questioned India's reported commitment to stop purchasing Russian oil, the 18 per cent tariff on Indian goods and what he described as a zero-tariff arrangement for US products. "Who is selling the interests of this nation? It is you, not the CJP and not the cockroaches," he said, accusing Modi of acting to protect his image and avoid humiliation by Trump. The allegations were made by Dipke at the rally and were not independently substantiated in the statements provided. Recalling his arrest in Delhi along with CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after they entered Jantar Mantar carrying the national flag, Dipke said he would continue to take the Tricolour to public protests across the country.

"I was sent behind bars for raising this Tricolour. Saurav and Ashu, my two brothers, were also sent behind bars for raising it. The last time this happened in India was when we were ruled by the British," he said. Comparing the present government with British rule, Dipke alleged that people's freedoms were being restricted. He said he was prepared to be arrested in any state but would continue to carry the national flag. He also accused the government of attempting to influence people's personal choices and electoral decisions. "They first wanted to control what you eat, then whom you can marry and love, and now they have come to a point where they want to control whom you vote for," he said, alleging that the SIR exercise was being used to influence electoral outcomes.

Dipke invoked Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru, describing Gandhi as the soul of India, Ambedkar as its backbone and Nehru as its mind. He said PM Modi could never surpass the contributions of the three leaders, even if he remained in power for 120 years. Dipke also targeted the ideological organisation to which the prime minister belongs, making allegations about its role during India's freedom struggle. The CJP founder further accused the BJP of dividing people along religious lines and alleged that communal riots were being triggered for political gain. Rejecting the description of young protesters as anarchists, he said: "We are Ambedkarites, we are Gandhians.

Don't you dare call us anarchists." Dipke also compared the current political climate with the tenure of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, arguing that people had greater freedom to criticise the government at the time. He referred to speeches made by Modi against Singh and said they would attract action under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) if made against the current prime minister. "I am not saying that government was perfect. But that India was more democratic, where you were allowed to criticise the prime minister. And that is how democracy should be," he said. Dipke alleged that the country had lost its voice over the past 10 to 12 years, but the protests at Jantar Mantar had given people the confidence to speak up again.

The Kochi gathering at Rajendra Maidan drew people from different age groups, along with representatives of youth and socio-cultural organisations. Cultural programmes were also held as part of the event. Earlier, actor Prakash Raj led a protest march from Marine Drive to Rajendra Maidan. Dipke said he had travelled to Kochi at the invitation of local organisers and Prakash Raj to participate in the CJP's campaign against the SIR exercise.