NEW DELHI: While several new faces have emerged during the ongoing protests, which began with the one led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), not all their supporters appear to be on the same page.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and AISA national president Neha Bora, among the more prominent faces of the protests, have often expressed support for each other. However, their supporters have questioned their methods and, in some cases, their intentions.
In the latest spat, some users on X questioned why the CJP’s agitation in Mumbai was allowed to continue while those protesting at Jantar Mantar faced detention and alleged assault.
Responding to a tweet by a Congress worker questioning why “Cockroaches can roam free in Mumbai, but when NSUI & IYC hit the streets they are detained”, CJP’s Saurabh Das, who also rose to prominence during the CJP’s Jantar Mantar protest, replied: “If you guys are detained immediately, then you must rethink your strategy. Don’t blame others for your failures.”
The remark drew sharp criticism, with several users posting videos of Bora being dragged away during protests and detained in the national capital. Das was accused of being “arrogant” and of “victim-shaming”.
In another exchange, when a user wrote, “Maturity is realising Neha Bora is more talented than Abhijeet Dipke”, the CJP founder quoted the post and replied: “Agreed.”
Bora responded to Dipke’s post, saying: “Solidarity, not comparison. We fight this together.”
Dipke replied: “Inquilab Zindabad” (long live the revolution).
Reacting to the original post, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj also joined the debate, saying: “The Darbari Ecosystem did not support Jantar Mantar movement from Day 1. They ridiculed Jantar Mantar protest from day 1. They declared it a flop. When Jantar Mantar became a huge success, they tried to woo some side players to appropriate the Jantar Mantar movement.”
The “side player” remark, however, drew criticism from student organisations and Congress supporters, who accused Bharadwaj of undermining Bora’s role and work in the movement.
Another prominent youth face, Gurmehar Kaur, who joined the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), the youth wing of the Indian National Congress, during the protests, has also been active on the streets.
Uday Bhanu Chib, national president of the IYC, has also been participating in the protests. The IYC, NSUI, SFI and AISA have also been active in the demonstrations.
On Sunday, Dipke again raised the issue of Bora’s detention by Delhi Police, saying: “Delhi Police has once again shown its cowardice by detaining Neha and Rosy (an independent journalist) for raising their voices… So much for women empowerment @narendramodi.”