Abhijeet Dipke reacts to NDA leader’s ‘join the party’ offer: ‘Wasn’t I anti-national for you just a month ago?’

Abhijeet Dipke Reacts to NDA Leader’s Join Offer

Theindiapostdaily.com – Abhijeet Dipke reacts to NDA leader Ramdas Athawale’s public recruitment pitch with a sharp one-liner posted to his Instagram story, turning what was meant as a political overture into a viral moment of sarcasm. The convenor of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) did not mince words when the Union minister invited him to fold his organisation into the Republican Party of India (Athawale), commonly abbreviated RPI (A).

“Abhi ek mahine pehle toh me anti-national tha tumhare liye?” — “Wasn’t I anti-national for you just a month ago?”

The exchange underscores how quickly the political temperature shifted around Dipke. Just weeks earlier, his agitation over the NEET-UG paper leak had drawn him into direct confrontation with the central government, and Athawale’s own camp had not been sympathetic. Now the minister, speaking from Nagpur on 17 August, framed the invitation as a gesture of respect for Dipke’s Ambedkarite credentials and youthful energy.

The RPI (A) Invitation and Its Context

Athawale, who sits in the Rajya Sabha as the party’s sole MP and simultaneously serves as Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment in the Modi cabinet, told news agencies that he viewed Dipke as a committed follower of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s political vision. He urged the young activist to “consider joining” the RPI (A), arguing that doing so would strengthen both the organisation and broader society.

The RPI (A) traces its ideological lineage to the Dalit Buddhist conversion movement and Ambedkar’s constitutional philosophy. Headquartered in New Delhi, it operates within the National Democratic Alliance framework at the Centre, giving it a seat at the ruling coalition table while retaining a distinct identity rooted in social-justice advocacy.

CJP’s Position: Pressure Group, Not Party

Dipke had already closed that door. On 5 August, days before Athawale’s pitch, he addressed reporters ahead of a core-team meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, and stated plainly that the CJP would remain a pressure group rather than register as a political party. The meeting’s agenda, he explained, focused on declining public trust in institutions ranging from the judiciary to the mainstream media.

“For now, CJP will be a pressure group, as what India needs now is a pressure group.”

The distinction matters to Dipke’s base: a pressure group can lobby, protest, and organise without the electoral machinery and funding disclosures that accompany formal party status.

From NEET-UG Agitation to Classroom Sweeping

Dipke returned from the United States in June to lead a nationwide campaign demanding accountability over the NEET-UG question-paper leak. Young protesters converged on Delhi, pressing for reforms and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The agitation placed Dipke squarely in the crosshairs of the government he now mocks.

On the Tuesday following Athawale’s remarks, Dipke turned his attention to a different grievance. Reports surfaced that students at a government school in Dhegaj village, within his home district, were being made to sweep their own classrooms. Acting under the banner of the “School Thik Karo” campaign his organisation had launched the previous week, he travelled to the village and confronted the teaching staff on camera.

“This is completely wrong… When there is cleaning staff, why are the kids sweeping classrooms?”

The teachers, visible in the circulated video, maintained they had never directed the children to perform the task. Dipke’s intervention nonetheless reinforced his public persona as an activist who moves quickly from national-level agitation to hyperlocal accountability.

FAQ

What is the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)? The CJP is a pressure group founded by Abhijeet Dipke. It is not a registered political party; it operates through advocacy, public agitation, and social-media campaigns on issues ranging from education policy to institutional trust.

Who is Ramdas Athawale and what role does he hold? Athawale is a Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra and the helmsman of the RPI (A). He concurrently serves as Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment in the central government.

Did Dipke accept the invitation to join the RPI (A)? No. His Instagram reply was a pointed sarcasm, and his earlier public statements confirm the CJP will continue as a pressure group rather than merge into any existing party structure.

What was the NEET-UG agitation about? In mid-2025, Dipke led a nationwide protest demanding an inquiry into the alleged leak of the NEET-UG examination paper and the resignation of the education minister. Students from multiple states gathered in Delhi to press their demands.