NEW DELHI, Oct. 15 -- In a significant shift in its approach towards the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the Congress reached out to the organisation's founder Abhijeet Dipke through senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, inviting him to an interaction hosted by Rahul Gandhi, despite reservations within the party over the group's alleged links with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The outreach came as the Congress sought to broaden civil society participation in protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. According to people familiar with the developments, the Congress attempted to establish contact with the CJP leadership on Tuesday, marking a departure from its earlier reluctance to engage with the organisation. The move is politically significant because a section of the Congress leadership has regarded the CJP as an AAP proxy, even though both organisations have been raising similar concerns about the Election Commission's functioning. The outreach also followed Gandhi's public assertion that demonstrations organised by students, civil society groups and Opposition parties were part of a common struggle for constitutional rights.
Despite the invitation, the CJP leadership did not attend Tuesday evening's meeting of INDIA bloc leaders at Gandhi's residence. People familiar with the discussions said Bhushan had attempted to bring the organisation's representatives to the gathering, but the effort did not result in their participation.
The CJP was not formally discussed during the meeting, according to those aware of the proceedings. The development highlighted the distance that continues to exist between the Congress and the activist organisation, notwithstanding their common opposition to the Election Commission's handling of electoral-roll revisions. The Congress had earlier expressed scepticism about the CJP, describing it as a proxy of the Aam Aadmi Party and questioning its standing as a political organisation. Some Congress leaders viewed the outfit primarily as an activist group rather than an established political party. However, Gandhi's willingness to accommodate CJP representatives at the Opposition gathering indicated a change in the leadership's approach.
The Congress has been attempting to involve civil society organisations, students and other groups in its campaign against the Chief Election Commissioner. Those efforts have reportedly met with limited success, making the attempted outreach to the CJP particularly significant. Unlike the Congress, parties including the Trinamool Congress, AAP and the Left have maintained regular contact with the CJP and extended support to its protest activities.' The invitation followed Gandhi's remarks on Monday seeking to present the separate demonstrations against the Election Commission as part of a broader movement.
"All protests are one protest. There are no parallel protests. We don't care who you are," Gandhi said. His comments were seen as an attempt to bridge the divide between the INDIA bloc's political campaign and the protests organised by students and civil society groups. Although the Congress and CJP have pursued separate programmes, both have demanded accountability over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise. The Election Commission has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and maintained that electoral-roll revisions are carried out under established procedures.
On Wednesday, Gandhi publicly condemned the detention and subsequent judicial custody of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. The two were sent to five days' judicial custody following allegations that they violated security restrictions at Jantar Mantar. Questioning the police action, Gandhi argued that peacefully demonstrating with the national flag could not be treated as a criminal act. He described the incarceration of young protesters as an act of cowardice and called for unity among students, youth, journalists and Opposition parties.
The Congress leader maintained that the different groups were pursuing the same objective of protecting constitutional rights. Dipke subsequently thanked Gandhi for speaking out against the arrest of his colleagues.
According to a senior Opposition leader, Dipke contacted a senior Trinamool Congress functionary after Das and Ranka were taken into custody. The TMC leader subsequently coordinated with representatives of other Opposition parties to facilitate a common response condemning the police action. The development reflected the closer working relationship that the CJP has maintained with some INDIA bloc constituents. While the Congress has remained cautious about formally associating with the organisation, the TMC, AAP and Left parties have been more willing to coordinate with its leadership.
The Congress outreach comes amid continuing protests over the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision exercise and the restrictions imposed on demonstrations in the national capital. The CJP has demanded Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, while Opposition parties have raised questions about electoral-roll deletions and the transparency of the revision process. Despite their overlapping demands, differences remain over political affiliations, organisational independence and coordination of protest programmes.
The invitation extended through Bhushan indicates a willingness within the Congress leadership to explore cooperation, but the CJP's absence from Gandhi's meeting suggests that no formal understanding has yet emerged. For now, the two sides remain aligned on their criticism of the Election Commission's handling of electoral-roll revisions while continuing to operate through separate organisational structures.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.