'Declare Emergency officially': CJP's Dipke challenges govt after Das, Ranka's arrest

NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to officially declare an Emergency after CJP colleagues Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail.

In a video posted on X, Dipke targeted PM Modi over the duo’s judicial custody, saying Das and Ranka knew they could be jailed when they set out for Jantar Mantar but went ahead with their plan, carrying and unfurling the Tricolour.

“Under Narendra Modi, even hoisting the national flag has become a violation of the law in this country,” he said.

Addressing the Prime Minister directly, Dipke said, “I want to tell Narendra Modi one thing: If you have the courage, officially declare an Emergency. Stop hiding behind the police like cowards. Impose an official Emergency and say openly that dissent will not be tolerated in this country, that protests will not be allowed. Say that from now on, the only slogan permitted in this country will be ‘Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi’.”

He further alleged that PM Modi did not respect the national flag, the people of the country or the Constitution. “So declare an Emergency, if you have the courage,” Dipke said.

His remarks came after Das and Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody following an attempt to enter Jantar Mantar a day earlier. The action came after the ministry of home affairs de-notified the historic observatory as a designated protest site. Jantar Mantar, near Connaught Place and Parliament, has long been associated with demonstrations and public protests.