A day after he was allegedly assaulted during a protest in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Cockroach Party chief Abhijeet Dipke arrived in Nagpur on Tuesday and said the attack was a deliberate attempt to divert attention from the issues being raised by students and suppress their voices.
Speaking to mediapersons at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport upon his arrival, Dipke said the attack would not deter him from continuing the movement. He maintained that the focus should remain on the concerns of students rather than the incident itself.“This attack on me is an attempt to divert attention from the real issue. It is an effort to silence the voice of students. We do not want to make this attack the centre of discussion. No matter how many attacks they carry out, we will remain committed to our cause,” Dipke said.
The Cockroach Party chief asserted that his movement would continue peacefully despite the attack. “No matter how many times they raise their hands against us, we will not raise ours. We follow the ideals of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi. We believe in democratic and non-violent protest. Our fight is for justice,” he said.Dipke alleged that more than one crore students across the country had been affected and claimed that six to seven students had died by suicide.
Holding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan responsible, he demanded his resignation and said accountability must be fixed for the alleged injustice faced by students.“More than one crore students have suffered. Several young lives have been lost. Someone must take responsibility for this. Instead of attacking us, the government should focus on correcting its mistakes. If the authorities had done their job properly, there would have been no need for this movement,” he said.Referring to the Jaipur incident, Dipke alleged that some of the attackers were associated with the RSS.
He claimed that such attacks are often carried out against those who speak against the government or its ideology.“There is nothing new in this. Whenever someone raises their voice against the government or its ideology, such attacks take place. But we will not be intimidated.
We will continue to fight for justice through democratic means,” he said.Dipke is in Nagpur to participate in a protest scheduled at Samvidhan Chowk at 4 pm on Tuesday. Organisers said the agitation would focus on student-related issues and demand accountability from the Central government. A large number of supporters and activists are expected to participate in the protest.
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