The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Rajasthan government, demanding action against those allegedly involved in a confrontation with its volunteers during a visit to a government school in Jaipur district. The party has also demanded the resignation of Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar, warning that it will launch a statewide agitation if its demands are not met.
The confrontation took place in Rampura-Kanwarpura village in Jaipur district, where a CJP team led by co-convener Ashutosh Ranka had arrived as part of its “School Thik Karo” campaign. The party says it was attempting to inspect the condition of a government primary school that, according to Ranka, had been operating from a buffalo shed for several years. It is still not known what led CJP to believe they have the authority to barge into any school and conduct an ‘audit’.
The visit quickly turned confrontational, with angry villagers preventing the CJP team from proceeding towards the school and chasing the so-called activists away from the area. Videos circulating from the incident showed a crowd confronting the group.
Ranka has alleged that the confrontation was not spontaneous and accused people linked to the BJP of orchestrating the attack. He claimed that CJP volunteers were assaulted, phones were broken, vehicle windows were smashed and one team member suffered a fractured hand. No proof has been provided to support these allegations; meanwhile, local residents have shared an entirely different account of the confrontation.
Following the incident, the CJP demanded that those responsible be arrested within 48 hours. Ranka also called for the withdrawal of restrictions concerning outsiders entering government schools. If the Rajasthan government fails to meet the party’s demands, the CJP has threatened to begin a statewide agitation and intensify its demand for Education Minister Madan Dilawar’s resignation.
On cursory look, it looks like another political front for the CJP, which has built its recent campaign around education-related issues. The party’s “School Thik Karo” initiative seeks to highlight deficiencies in government schools, but its attempts to conduct inspections have also raised questions about the authority of political activists to enter school premises without official permission.
The Jaipur incident could therefore become more than a local dispute. With the CJP threatening statewide protests, the confrontation has the potential to escalate into a broader political battle. As of now, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka think they can demand (and get) the resignation of anyone in India, but now, when faced with the anger of actual Indian citizens, they are crying foul and are now threatening the Rajasthan government.
