Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Deepke on Friday told opposition parties that if they feel the electoral process is being rigged, they should stop participating in the elections.
He said continued participation in such elections gives them legitimacy and creates the 'illusion' that the elections are free and fair.
In a post on X, Deepke said that opposition parties cannot simultaneously claim that elections are rigged and then continue participating in them.
He said, "Yes, elections are being rigged. But when you continue to participate in rigged elections, you legitimize these elections and help maintain the illusion that they are free and fair."
Deepke questioned whether opposition parties continue to participate in elections because they fear that their political existence will end if they stay away from the elections.
He said, "Perhaps you keep contesting elections because you fear that if you don't do so, you will cease to exist. But when votes are being stolen, your MLAs and MPs are being poached and your parties are being broken, then what kind of existence are you trying to save?"
What else did Abhijeet Deepke say?
Abhijit Deepke said, "This is not a fight for political survival. You are just trying to survive in a system which can weaken you at any time, create divisions in your party or snatch away your elected representatives. How long will you be able to survive like this?"
"And you cannot talk about election rigging only when it happens in states that matter to you, and remain silent when it happens in other states. If elections are being rigged, it should not matter in which state it happens or which party suffers from it."
"You cannot continue to participate in the same electoral process while alleging rigging. Your participation is what legitimizes these allegedly rigged elections."
He appealed, "Before thinking about your political well-being, think about the country and its democracy. Make your stand clear and stop taking part in rigged elections."
Abhijit Deepke once again reiterated on Friday that if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by tomorrow i.e. Saturday, then CJP will start protests across the country from October 2.
Deepke wrote, "On this Gandhi Jayanti, take a pledge to save democracy."
CJP has made three demands-
Gyanesh Kumar should resign and criminal action should be initiated against him.
SIR should be banned and the voter list of January 2025 should be restored.
The 2023 law should be repealed and reforms should be made in the Election Commission.
Earlier, after a report published in the English newspaper Indian Express, along with the opposition parties, the Cockroach Janata Party is also attacking Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Indian Express journalist Ritika Chopra reported in her report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi lodged objections to several decisions of the Commission in the last 10 months.
The tenure of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has been much talked about and controversial. He has been the target of opposition for many of his decisions.
What are the reactions to Deepke's suggestion?
No party has yet expressed its clear view regarding Deepke's suggestion, but some people have shared concerns related to it.
DMK leader A. Saravanan expressed concern that this move to boycott the elections could only harm the opposition.
Saravanan said, "This is one way of looking at the matter. It will do more harm than good because it will be portrayed in such a way that we are afraid of contesting elections against the BJP."
He said, "They will hold elections and win. After this India will become a country with a weak dictatorship. We should not let this happen."
Senior journalist and political analyst Vinod Sharma shared Deepke's post on X and wrote, "If the system of rigging elections continues, then I am in favor of boycotting the elections."
"But I also realize that if the constitutional institutions meant to protect democracy do not come forward to protect it, a situation like Bangladesh may arise. Therefore, think deeply before taking the decision to boycott the elections."
Agha Syed Muntazir Mehdi, an MLA from Mehbooba Mufti's PDP, said, "India Alliance has been continuously raising concerns that votes are being stolen and the Election Commission is not working as per the mandate given to it."
"I believe that on moral grounds the Election Commission of India should resign. Also, there should be an independent inquiry into whether the Election Commission of India has indeed deviated from its mandate and whether it was acting with any political motive," he told news agency PTI.
Former Election Commissioner SY Qureshi told news agency ANI, "The Chief Election Commissioner is not going to listen to him. This could have happened in the case of the Education Minister, because pressure could have been put on him through the government. The Government of India cannot force the Chief Election Commissioner. It can only remove him from the post through impeachment. I do not understand how this 48-hour notice will work?"
'Why does the opposition selectively make allegations of rigging?'
Deepke also accused the opposition parties of selectively raising the issue of election rigging depending on the state or the affected political party.
"And you cannot talk about election rigging only when it happens in states that matter to you and remain silent when it happens elsewhere. If elections are being rigged, it should not matter which state it is or which party is affected," the CJP convenor said.
"You can't keep saying the match is fixed and then keep playing it. The only thing that gives legitimacy to these rigged elections is your participation," he claimed.
Appealing to the opposition parties to put democracy above their political interests, Deepke said, "Before thinking about your political survival, think about the country and its democracy. Make your stand clear and stop participating in rigged elections."
Citing the example of fixed cricket matches, he said an election can be shown as competitive even if its result is allegedly manipulated.
He said, "Like in a fixed match, not every catch is dropped. Some catches are taken and the match can even be dragged till the last over, so that it looks a close match."
Deepke said, "Similarly, you will be given a few wins, just so that you keep contesting and people believe that there was a real contest. These few wins are the pieces that keep you in the game and make the whole process look legitimate."
Preparation for Jantar Mantar 2.0
Deepke had on Thursday demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and had said that if his demand was not accepted, he would start 'Jantar Mantar 2.0' movement.
The statement came a day after a report by The Indian Express on Wednesday.
The report said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised formal objections to the decisions and orders of the Election Commission at least 14 times in the last 10 months.
These included decisions regarding additions, deletions, and reinstatements of voters, as well as changes to the voter registration process.
Following the Indian Express report, Election Commission officials said both election commissioners had raised questions over decisions taken during the cleansing of voter lists and management of voter databases in various states.
