Abhijeet Dipke: Man of the moment, missing from every big moment?
On June 6, Abhijeet Dipke landed in India to lead the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) agitation against exam paper leaks, demanding the resignation of Union
On June 6, Abhijeet Dipke landed in India to lead the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) agitation against exam paper leaks, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. As the protest gathered momentum and drew national attention in the weeks to come, it was activist-innovator Sonam Wangchuk, not Dipke, who became its face. Forget leading the protests, critics suggest that Dipke seemed missing from the most intense moments. What had been taking place for over a month, was repeated on Monday — the day the protest was supposed to culminate. Read Full Story In the month leading up to July 20, Wangchuk undertook an indefinite fast, risked his health, and was ultimately removed by police from the protest site at Jantar Mantar. At that defining moment, Dipke said he had stepped away to use the restroom at a nearby friend's house. And, by the time Dipke returned, Wangchuk had already been taken away by police to Safdarjung Hospital. Wangchuk's fast lent the movement much of its credibility and public attention, even as Dipke remained its principal organiser. Fast-forward to Saturday morning. Hours after Wangchuk was "shifted" to the Safdarjung Hospital, Dipke responded by launching an "indefinite hunger strike" at Jantar Mantar, saying he would continue until "Sonam Sir was released". Over the weekend, Dipke was on the verge of becoming the movement's most visible face.
But his "indefinite hunger strike", too, didn't last long. Dipke ended his hunger strike after Wangchuk reportedly requested him to do so from the hospital. Dipke took a sip or two from a glass of juice. That Wangchuk had suggested Dipke break his fast as he needed energy to continue the protest, was conveyed by the CJP. Wangchuk, meanwhile, remains on his hunger strike from a hospital bed. On Monday, CJP's spokespersons, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka submitted a memorandum to Union Health MInister and senior BJP leader JP Nadda with three demands, one of which is the return of Wangchuk to the protest site at Jantar Mantar. While Wangchuk is still reported to be continuing his fast, which will be in its 22nd day on Monday, Dipke gave up in about 48 hours. Dipke began his fast after Wangchuk was "shifted" from the protest site to Safdarjung Hospital. Columnist-satirist Kamlesh Singh, in an Opinion piece on Monday, said that the movement, led by an unknown, was the reason "why Dipke had to go shopping for a track record". "He found one in Sonam Wangchuk, whose fast lent the disparate crowd some credibility and, because only he could, some sanity... Many saw widespread support for the movement. I saw a desperate cry for a leader. Any leader," he wrote. On Monday morning, as thousands of CJP supporters and protesters, who had gathered at Jantar Mantar on Dipke's call, marched towards Parliament under the "Sansad Chalo" campaign, Delhi Police personnel detained many of them as they attempted to cross barricades towards Parliament Street.
The BriefWire