From School Repairs to Political Clash: The Growing CJP-BJP Face-Off in Rajasthan

CJP alleges volunteers were attacked during Rajasthan school campaign, while BJP denies involvement and Ranka demands arrests within 48 hours.

By Sakshi.

New Delhi, August 21: Abhijeet Dipke, founder-convenor of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), condemned the attack on party spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka and other volunteers in Rajasthan Friday, calling the micreants “goons of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)”. He shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, showing a mob beating and chaisng the CJP team, while they were on their way to a government school in Rampura-Kanwarpura, Jaipur.

Members of the two groups were seen engaging in a verbal altercation and physical confrontation in the video.

In a series of posts on X, Dipke said the team was heckled and alleged that Rajasthan Police remained “mute spectators” as CJP volunteers were attacked.

CJP alleges volunteers were attacked during Rajasthan school campaign, while BJP denies involvement and Ranka demands arrests within 48 hours.

Ranka's Rajasthan School Campaign

Ranka had said in a post on August 17 that he would visit government schools across Rajasthan. Last week, he visited a school in Jodhawas, Thanagazi, where he staged a protest with schoolchildren over the roof of the school, which had collapsed six months earlier.

Ranka protested for four hours before officials assured him that the roof would be repaired. He later said on X that he would return to Rajasthan and challenged Education Minister Madan Dilawar to show him 10 of the best-performing schools that had remained functional during his tenure.

Videos circulating on social media showed Ranka and the CJP team being mobbed and allegedly attacked.

In a post on X, Ranka said the team was “openly assaulted” and “pelted with stones” when they reached the village.

Photos shared by Ranka and Dipke appeared to show broken car windows, as well as people with injuries.

Ranka alleged that stones were thrown through tubes at the team and said his clothes were ripped during the confrontation.

He further alleged that the attack was carried out at the direction of Education Minister Madan Dilawar.

“Madan Dilawar finds it acceptable for children to keep studying in a buffalo shed. But repairing the school? That's not right. You have sent goons today and shamed the entire state of Rajasthan in front of the country, Mr Madan Dilawar. But we are not the sort of people who get intimidated by this sort of thuggery.

“The school will be fixed, one way or another,” he wrote.

Dipke also posted on X, writing: “F is going on in Rajasthan?????”

Rajasthan Government Circular

The Rajasthan government on Monday issued a circular banning unauthorised entry, photography, videography and interviews by outsiders inside government school premises.

The order came after the launch of the CJP's “School Thik Karo” campaign, under which party leaders and volunteers began visiting government schools across the country.

Dipke began the campaign with schools in his village in Maharashtra, while Ranka started his campaign in Rajasthan.

“Today, the state saw the hooliganism of the BJP live,” Dipke said. “Our volunteers were attacked, their phones were smashed and one of our volunteers was left with a fractured hand,” he added.

On behalf of the CJP, Ranka demanded the arrest of those responsible and called for the alleged attackers to be removed from the village.

“We are trying to get the school repaired but instead of helping us, BJP workers resorted to violence,” he alleged.

“It is a black day for democracy in Rajasthan,” Ranka said, adding that if no arrests were made within 48 hours, “the protest will not be confined to the issue of the school and will demand Madan Dilawar's resignation”.

The BJP has denied the CJP's claim that its workers were involved in the incident.