The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has endorsed a ‘Gen Alpha’ protest in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur, where schoolchildren blocked the main gate of the district Collectorate on Tuesday to demand a proper road connecting their villages.
The ‘Gen Alpha’ schoolchildren marched several kilometres from Chandupur and nearby villages to the Collectorate. They were seen carrying the tricolour, placards and banners. They were accompanied by their parents and other residents, HT has learnt.
“Well done,” CJP spokesperson Saurav Das, reacting to the video, said.
The kids were protesting the poor condition of a roughly 1.5-km road serving several settlements along the Yamuna belt. The stretch has turned into mud and slush following the rains, making it difficult for residents to travel.
ALSO READ | CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke kicks off nationwide ‘Kya Bolti Public’ campaign to gauge public concerns
Nearly 3,000 residents affected
The road is the main access route for nearly 3,000 residents living in Chandupur and surrounding deras, including Brahma ka Dera, Banvasi ka Dera, Athbhaiyan ka Dera, Bachchi ka Dera, Bhikhua ka Dera, Gusai Baba ka Dera and Gangwa ka Dera.
Residents said the condition of the road made it difficult for children to get to school and has also created problems in taking sick people to hospitals.
Children block main gate
As the protesters marched towards the Collectorate on Tuesday morning, SDM Sadar Abhishek Kumar and CO Yashpal Singh, accompanied by police personnel, reached the route and attempted to stop them.
The children still reached the Collectorate and blocked its main gate. Officials tried to persuade them to withdraw the protest, but the children refused to move. Officials and employees inside were left unable to exit.
Abhijeet Dipke lends support
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke later also endorsed the protest. Sharing the video on his Instagram Stories, he said, “This Independence Day, let’s pledge to improve government schools in our villages.”
CJP’s education push
This came a day after Dipke announced a campaign to improve government schools in villages. The 30-year-old, now leading a ‘pressure group’ against the government, asked sarpanches and parents to take up the “social and moral responsibility” of ensuring better basic facilities for children.
Dipke called on people to pledge to the cause on August 15, India’s 80th Independence Day. He said he would begin the campaign from his own village, Hingoli, in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region, by approaching the sarpanch and requesting improvements to the government schools there.
In a video message posted on social media, Dipke said government schools in villages had been “neglected and ignored” over the past 80 years and questioned why children in rural areas continue to lack facilities that are available to students in bigger cities.
Dipke said children in villages still had to walk long distances to attend school and often do not have access to basic facilities such as drinking water and washrooms.
“How difficult it must be for small girls. So, I feel that this August 15, if we should pay attention to anything, it should be to making a new start, and we must begin by correcting our government schools,” he said.
He appealed to village heads across the country to take up the issue and improve schools in their respective villages. Dipke said the CJP would showcase their efforts on its social media platforms, along with credits and visuals.
CJP expands focus beyond student protests
The campaign is another step in the CJP’s expanding youth-focused activities. What began as an online satirical platform launched by Dipke from the US later moved to street protests, including an agitation over the NEET paper leak and issues affecting students.
The movement’s protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar drew students and parents from different parts of the country. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk also joined the agitation.
The protests forced the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union education minister. After the demonstrations ended on July 25, the CJP held a two-day strategy meeting in Maharashtra and announced that it would continue as a youth movement, with Wangchuk as its mentor.
Last week, Dipke also announced the nationwide “Kya Bolti Public” campaign to understand people’s concerns. He said education would be the first focus of the outreach initiative.
(With inputs from Haidar Naqvi)
