Jaipur: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) said Saturday it sought police help during an attack on its members in Bagru but officers did not turn up, with party’s national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka alleging police were “hand in glove” with ruling BJP functionaries.“The sad part was that police were called, but they did not respond. It seemed as if they were hand in glove with BJP leaders,” Ranka told TOI Saturday, a day after the confrontation during a govt school inspection under CJP’s statewide “School Thik Karo” campaign.Ranka said the incident would not deter the group from visiting govt schools to highlight their condition. “BJP goons may think they can stop us from exposing how they are hiding the poor condition of govt schools, but they have only emboldened us. We will soon resume our visits. We are ready to face their stones, batons and even bullets,” he said.The clash took place Friday at Rampura Kanwarpura village when a CJP team led by Ranka visited a govt primary school. The organisation claimed the school had been operating for years from a cowshed after its original building was declared unsafe.Ranka alleged local BJP leaders blocked the inspection, pushed the team out and attacked them. He claimed stones were pelted, vehicle windows and phones were damaged, clothes were torn and a woman member was assaulted.“It is clear from the videos that stones were pelted and our vehicles and phones were damaged. A woman member was assaulted. Instead of condemning the incident, my honourable BJP education minister Madan Dilawar congratulated the attackers,” Ranka alleged.He also linked Bagru MLA Kailash Verma to the incident, alleging some of those involved met the MLA before the CJP team arrived, and claimed police did not act despite prior intimation. The allegations could not be independently verified.Verma denied the allegation and accused CJP of “factless negative politics”. He said the group arrived in large numbers, creating fear among women and children, and added that Rs 18 lakh had been sanctioned for new classrooms — Rs 12 lakh from DMFT and Rs 6 lakh from his MLA fund.Ranka said the episode had widened attention on the campaign. “What was intended to harm our campaign has actually brought more people into it. Even those who are not CJP members are now talking about the condition of govt schools,” he said.He added CJP would question both sides. “We are not singling out the BJP. But they are in power today, so questions will be asked of them. Congress is the principal Opposition party and we will also ask what it is doing to put pressure on the govt,” he said.
