New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday praised the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and invited its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, and other activists to organise programmes in Bengal after meeting him in Delhi.
Dipke said he met Banerjee to thank her for supporting the outfit’s first protest at Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak and standing by its members, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, after their arrest by Delhi Police.
Banerjee described the activists as pioneers of the movement and said her party had extended support to them, just as they had backed Sunday’s INDIA bloc rally against alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls.
She also invited the CJP activists to visit West Bengal and hold programmes there, leaving the decision to the organisation.
Dipke, however, clarified that the CJP would not formally participate in Sunday’s rally at Ramlila Maidan, citing its independent and politically neutral identity.
He said the outfit supported the protest and would stand with any organisation fighting alleged vote theft, irrespective of political affiliation.
The meeting came ahead of the INDIA bloc’s November 1 mobilisation, which includes a march from Minto Road to Ramlila Maidan and a rally scheduled between 10 am and 5 pm.
Opposition parties are demanding accountability from the Election Commission and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The CJP has reiterated its support for free and fair elections while maintaining that it would remain independent of the political alliance.
