Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijit Dipke has contended that the central government's inconsistent treatment of demonstrations directed at the Election Commission of India is fostering division among the various groups taking part in those protests. Dipke urged the public to move past unverified claims and present a united front in their dispute with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Posting on X, Dipke noted that once the CJP obtained authorisation to hold its protest, a number of voices raised the possibility that the organisation had been placed there by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Referencing the INDIA bloc's Monday demonstration for contrast, Dipke noted that the opposition's gathering had not been met with the same response from authorities as the CJP protest on October 10, and he argued that unequal treatment of different groups' demonstrations was deepening mistrust among those who shared broadly similar goals.
A procession toward the Supreme Court on 13 October drew Rahul Gandhi — holding the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha — together with representatives from the Congress party and a broader coalition of opposition groupings. A march drawing tens of thousands of attendees concluded near Mandi House around 6 PM, with those present voicing opposition to the Special Intensive Revision exercise and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over what organisers characterised as irregularities in how the voters' roll revision had been conducted.
Demonstrations outside followed the release of a broadcast news report contending that Kumar had bypassed the input of two Election Commissioners on a number of decisions tied to the SIR.
Dipke noted that the same authorities who allow one demonstration to proceed may impose restrictions on another, and that such decisions have shifted over time. He contended that such disparities had the potential to generate conspiracy theories and draw public attention away from the protesters' underlying concerns, urging everyone to look past what he described as deliberate diversionary tactics.
Widespread detentions on 10 October — sweeping up Dipke, four former chief ministers, and content creator Dhruv Rathee among others — coincided with a security deployment that blocked a planned rally at Jantar Mantar calling for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to step down, while an INDIA bloc march went ahead three days afterwards, on 13 October.
Designated for public gatherings, Jantar Mantar drew few visitors throughout the day, with a deployment of more than 30,000 security personnel and extensive barricading across Lutyens' Delhi effectively preventing people from reaching the area. At the same time, Dipke addressed those present with a call for unity, cautioning that internal divisions fuelled by conspiracy theories would erode the common purpose binding them together.
Reaffirming his stance, he said attention ought to stay directed at Gyanesh Kumar and those he alleged were shielding the Chief Election Commissioner, describing the dispute as one centred on Kumar and the individuals he claimed were providing him cover. "Keep that in mind," he urged.