Abhijeet Dipke backs Jharkhand students' protest

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday extended support to the ongoing students' protest in Jharkhand over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, saying the party's delegation had already reached the protest site and was assisting demonstrators.Speaking to ANI, Dipke said, "We offer our full support. Our delegation has visited the area, and our people are distributing food there. We stand firmly with them and support all their demands."He said he also intended to visit the protest site but was currently dealing with health issues."I, too, intend to go. Although, I am currently dealing with some health issues. Many students are stepping forward to protest. I believe they are leaders in their own right and deserve visibility. It isn't necessary for Abhijit to be at the forefront everywhere. They are doing the work, too, and deserve equal recognition," he said.Dipke added that the party did not want to claim sole credit for the agitation and wanted students to lead the movement themselves."We don't want the credit to go solely to CJP. We want students to step up and protest themselves. We want them to fight for their rights and for the country's education system," he said.The protest entered its 14th day on Friday, with demonstrators continuing their hunger strike.The students and job aspirants are demanding the cancellation of the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Civil Services Examination and an independent probe into the alleged irregularities, either by the CBI or by a panel of retired high court judges from outside the state.Meanwhile, the stalemate between the protesters and the Jharkhand government continued, with the students alleging that they had not received any formal invitation from the state government to discuss their demands.The protesters are also seeking comprehensive reforms in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).On Thursday, the demonstrators formed an 11-member delegation to hold talks with the government after Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the doors of his government were open for dialogue.Dipke also backed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's recent remarks on fake content circulating on social media, alleging that the highest number of fake videos originated from IT cells."If the highest number of fake videos originate from anywhere, it is from the IT cell. So, I want Mohan Bhagwat's point to be accepted, that investigations should be conducted to determine which videos are genuine and which are fake," he said.Stay updated with the latest Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar news. Download the TOI App.