CJP protest: Saurav Das questions Modi, Shah

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leader Saurav Das on Sunday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over what he described as the government's efforts to protect Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that an atmosphere of fear had been created in the country.

Speaking at a press conference after being released from detention, Das alleged that Delhi Police forcibly entered the aircraft he was travelling in and detained CJP leaders. He also claimed that the police did not issue a formal detention notice, seized their phones and did not allow them to contact a lawyer.

“An atmosphere of fear has been created in the country. It's clearly being done to save one person,” Das said, questioning why the government was going to such lengths to protect Kumar.

“We want to ask Modi and Shah, why are you trying to save Gyanesh Kumar?” he said, asking what made the Chief Election Commissioner so important to the government.

Das also raised questions about the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, referring to Modi's initial electoral setback in Varanasi before he went on to win the constituency. He questioned whether Kumar knew something about the election that explained the government's alleged efforts to protect him.

“What does Gyanesh Kumar have that you are protecting him so much? What does he know?” Das asked, challenging the government to explain its position. These were questions raised by Das and not established findings about the Chief Election Commissioner.

The CJP leader also questioned why the government had not removed Kumar despite what he described as pressure from within the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), asking what made the issue so important that such a large police deployment was required to contain the protest.

“This system is broken and corrupt, and it can work this way,” Das said, alleging that the system was working only for two people — Modi and Shah.

Das thanked student organisations and political parties that had extended support to the agitation, saying the protest would continue despite the detention of its leaders and police action against demonstrators.

He alleged that protesters continued to face detention and physical assault, including an incident in which a Students' Federation of India (SFI) student was allegedly beaten.

The CJP leader's remarks came amid the party's agitation demanding Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The party has maintained that its campaign will continue until electoral reforms are undertaken.

The press conference followed the detention of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, Das and fellow leader Ashutosh Ranka after they arrived in Delhi ahead of the party's planned October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar. The party had alleged that its leaders were taken off their flight and detained, while police cited security and law-and-order concerns for refusing permission for the demonstration.

CJP and student organisations, including the All India Students' Association (AISA), the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Students' Federation (AISF), had announced a joint agitation seeking Kumar's resignation and broader electoral reforms.