The invitation is simple: bring the tiranga to Central Park in Connaught Place, New Delhi, at 5 p.m. on October 16. It’s a call issued by Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), in response to the arrests of key party leaders and alleged voter list discrepancies.
Dipke says the movement aims to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Security forces are heavily deploying barricades around Connaught Place, and the protest is expected to be tense.
The immediate catalyst is the arrest of two CJP leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, for entering the Red Fort grounds without permission. They were sent to five-day judicial custody in the Jantar Mantar trespassing case. As Abhijit Dipak put it, “जैसा कि आप लोगों को पता है कि सौरभ और आशु को सिर्फ तिरंगा लहराने के लिए जेल में डाला गया है” – “as you all know, Saurav and Ashutosh were put in jail just for waving the tiranga.”
The immediate catalyst is the arrest of two CJP leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, for entering the Red Fort grounds without permission.
Dipke has urged, “I request all the patriots, all those who love the Tricolour, to gather at Central Park in Connaught Place, at 5 p.m. on October 16, along with the Tricolour,” He also declared, “'Waving our Tricolour is a right, not a crime,' Dipke declared in a public broadcast, adding that he is fully prepared to face jail time.”
Dipke has called for decentralized marches in major Indian cities. The protest, dubbed ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’, is a nationwide CJP call that includes a flag march announced by Abhijit Dipak for Connaught Place on October 16, 2023, again in response to the arrests of CJP members.