‘Would SC tell Modi to contest next election?’: Dipke targets top court’s Bengal remarks

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke criticized the Supreme Court for allegedly aiding the Election Commission in splitting political parties and seizing election symbols, questioning the court's stance on voter deletions in West Bengal. Dipke, speaking in Nagpur, demanded accountability from constitutional institutions for decisions impacting democratic rights.

He questioned the court's response when Bengal voters were deleted, stating that it had not deemed it a significant issue. Dipke alleged that the court had aided the Election Commission in such matters in the past, without specifying the cases. Amid protests over alleged voter deletions and calls for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, Dipke accused the Narendra Modi government of imposing an "unofficial emergency" by detaining protesters at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.

He questioned the legality of holding protesters for extended periods and criticized the detention of three individuals—Saurabh, Ashutosh, and Ajinkya—who were alleged to have raised the national flag. Dipke defended the protests as an exercise of the fundamental right to protest under Article 19, dismissing allegations that it made Mahatma Gandhi anti-national.

He denied any formal affiliation between CJP and the INDIA bloc, stating that both groups were campaigning for democratic rights. Dipke also disputed the Delhi Police video of his detention, alleging it was edited, and claimed that his request to speak to his brother or lawyer was denied, which he said was meant to pressure his family.

He rejected suggestions that the CJP was aligned with any political party, citing support from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Maharashtra leaders Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray. When asked if CJP would contest elections if ballot papers were reintroduced, Dipke emphasized the urgent need to address the deletion of names from voter lists, urging the government to prove its allegations against the protestors.