Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has rejected exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen’s comparison between the recent Jantar Mantar protest and Bangladesh’s 2024 student-led uprising. Calling the comparison an attempt to “defame” the satirical outfit, Abhijeet Dipke said the two movements were different. His response came after Nasreen said a clip of the Delhi protest reminded her of the demonstrations in Bangladesh that culminated in the fall of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. Responding to the comparison, Abhijeet Dipke said, “We are different.”

Abhijeet Dipke rejects Taslima Nasreen’s remarks on Delhi protest

The controversy began after Taslima Nasreen spoke to PTI about the CJP protest. While saying that she had not closely followed the demonstration, the exiled Bangladeshi writer said a video clip reminded her of Bangladesh’s 2024 student movement.

Referring to the developments in Bangladesh, Nasreen said, “That student movement in Bangladesh fooled us.” She said the protests initially appeared to focus on abolishing the quota system and noted that Sheikh Hasina had agreed to the students’ demands. However, she added, “Later, we found that jihadis (Islamic fundamentalists) were behind that movement.” According to Nasreen, the outcome of the protests was not good for Bangladesh, and the events should serve as “a lesson.”

Responding to the remarks, Abhijeet Dipke rejected the comparison and reiterated, “We are different.” He maintained that the CJP’s protest should not be equated with the developments in Bangladesh.

Abhijeet Dipke says compensation for affected families is still pending

Apart from responding to Nasreen’s remarks, Abhijeet Dipke said the Centre has not yet fulfilled all the assurances given after the CJP’s protest at Jantar Mantar. Speaking to ANI, he warned that the organisation could resume its sit-in protest if the pending demands are not addressed.

“We want the government to do this (fulfil the demands agreed upon); otherwise, we will have to sit in protest again,” Dipke said.

One of the CJP’s key demands was Rs 1 crore as compensation for the families of NEET-UG aspirants who allegedly died by suicide following the paper leak controversy. According to Dipke, none of the families has received the compensation so far.

“None of the families has received the compensation from the government,” he said. Referring to the government’s reported response, Dipke added that officials had said they would have to examine the applicable rules and norms before providing the compensation. Questioning the delay, he said, “When you have to buy MPs/MLAs, you spend crores of rupees, but to give compensation, you need to first check the rules. It means their intention is not right.”

The CJP withdrew its 37-day protest at Jantar Mantar on July 25 after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister and the organisation said it had received assurances on its other key demands. According to the CJP, those demands included financial assistance for affected families and the withdrawal of FIRs registered against protesters. Dipke also said he does not support the appointment of Pralhad Joshi as the new Union Education Minister.

Bangladesh protests formed the basis of Taslima Nasreen’s comparison

Nasreen’s remarks referred to Bangladesh’s 2024 student-led protests, which led to the removal of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024. Since then, Hasina has been living in New Delhi, while an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus assumed office three days later.

According to the source, Bangladesh witnessed a period of political uncertainty following the change in government, while minority communities, including Hindus, repeatedly raised concerns over their security. The report also states that Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Tarique Rahman later won a parliamentary election and became the country’s prime minister.

While Taslima Nasreen believes the Bangladesh protests should serve as a lesson, Abhijeet Dipke has rejected any comparison between those events and the CJP’s protest, maintaining that “We are different.”