Congress Reaches Out To CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke, Invites Him To Rahul Gandhi’s High Tea

The Congress has reached out to Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, inviting him and the outfit’s leaders to a high tea hosted by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, signalling a possible shift in the party’s approach towards the youth-led group.

According to The Indian Express, the Congress attempted to contact Dipke on Tuesday through lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan, seeking to bring CJP leaders into a gathering of INDIA bloc leaders, civil society representatives and student organisations. The outreach came amid protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities in the electoral roll revision process. <Link url={turn360343search0.url.uri} title=”Read the Indian Express report”/>.

The move is notable because sections of the Congress leadership had previously viewed CJP with suspicion, with some leaders believing the group was an offshoot or front of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The latest outreach suggests the party is seeking broader coordination among groups opposing the Election Commission’s actions.

Rahul Gandhi’s Support Marks A Shift

Rahul Gandhi had already signalled a more inclusive approach on Monday, saying that protests against the CEC should be seen as part of a common movement rather than separate campaigns.

“There are no parallel protests, there is one protest,” Gandhi said, adding that the Congress would support those defending the Constitution, regardless of the organisation or platform they represented.

On Wednesday, Gandhi also condemned the arrests of CJP leaders, stating that peacefully waving the Tricolour during a protest at Jantar Mantar was not a crime. He described the jailing of young protesters as an act of cowardice and called for the protest site to be reclaimed for public demonstrations.

Dipke thanked Gandhi for speaking out against the arrests of CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das.

CJP Leaders Were Detained During Delhi Protest

The Congress outreach follows the disruption of CJP’s October 10 protest in Delhi, which was organised to demand Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and raise concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The protest was affected by extensive security arrangements and police detentions. Several CJP leaders, including Ranka and Das, were taken into custody after a demonstration at Jantar Mantar.

The Congress had also organised a march with INDIA bloc leaders to the Supreme Court on October 12, followed by a high tea at Gandhi’s residence to discuss the opposition’s strategy on electoral issues.

However, CJP did not join the INDIA bloc’s march, highlighting that the youth-led group has continued to maintain its separate political identity.

Congress Seeks Wider Opposition Unity

According to the Indian Express report, Congress leaders assessed that the campaign against the SIR exercise and the demand for the CEC’s resignation should bring together a wider range of opposition groups.

Sources cited in the report said the Congress made contact with Dipke, although people close to Prashant Bhushan indicated that Dipke was in Maharashtra at the time and several senior CJP leaders remained in police custody. Congress sources also suggested that Dipke was not particularly enthusiastic about the invitation.

The outreach comes as opposition parties attempt to coordinate their response to allegations of electoral irregularities and the handling of protests in the national capital.

Despite the possibility of greater cooperation, CJP’s participation in any future INDIA bloc initiative remains uncertain. The invitation marks an effort at engagement, but it does not by itself establish a political alliance between the Congress and CJP.