NewDelhi: A protest planned by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Mumbai is taking a Gandhi-inspired route. The pressure group has chosen October 2 (Gandhi Jayanti or the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi) to begin its “Jail Bharo Andolan” demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced the programme after the Mumbai Police denied permission for the organisation’s proposed protest at Shivaji Park. The police cited existing High Court directions, civic permission requirements and possible traffic problems around the venue. The CJP then announced that it would go ahead with the jail-bharo protest on the Gandhi Jayanti.
The posters for the campaign use images of the father of nation, bringing his name and methods into a protest led by a group that has used a distinctly Gen Z style of political messaging. The choice of Gandhi’s birth anniversary gives the protest a historical reference.
The CJP has accused the Election Commission (EC) and Kumar of wrongdoing in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The EC has rejected such allegations and said its decisions followed the law. It has also said differences of view in a multi-member constitutional body are part of institutional functioning.
CJP’s Gandhi connection
The use of Gandhi’s image brings an old form of protest into a campaign built around social media, young supporters and catchy political slogans. The organisation has announced protests in other cities after the Mumbai programme. The plan includes demonstrations in Goa, Bengaluru and Kolkata.
Gandhi’s political method strongly emphasised non-violence. His approach also stressed responsibility among movement leaders and those taking part.
One of the best-known examples came during the Non-Cooperation Movement. On February 5, 1922, violence broke out at Chauri Chaura in present-day Uttar Pradesh. A police station was set on fire and 22 policemen were killed. Gandhi decided to withdrew the agitation on February 12. The official chronology of the Rajghat Samadhi Committee records both the Chauri Chaura incident and the withdrawal of the movement one week later.
Gandhi later claimed responsibility for the consequences of the movement. In his 1922 statement during his trial, he said, “I would have failed in my duty if I did not say what I said here just now.”
He also described non-violence as “the first article of my faith” and “the last article of my creed”.
The decision to stop the movement disappointed several Congress leaders and supporters who had invested in the campaign. Gandhi still went ahead with the withdrawal after the violence at Chauri Chaura.
The question of protest methods
The Gandhi reference in CJP’s campaign therefore has a specific meaning. A “Jail Bharo Andolan” is built around civil disobedience and the willingness of protesters to face arrest. Gandhi used similar forms of non-violent resistance during the freedom movement.
The group has also expanded its demands around the EC. It has included calls for action against Kumar, changes to the process for appointing election commissioners and a review of the voter-roll revision process.
The CJP has also alleged that the SIR exercise affected millions of voters.
The SIR row intensified after an investigation by The Indian Express revealed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times in 10 months over decisions related to voter rolls. Their objections included changes to Form 6, the addition and deletion of voter names, access to the electoral-roll database and the functioning of the ECINet system.
The report also found that software problems in Goa left 97 eligible voters out of the final roll, even after election officials had cleared their documents.
The EC later ordered a review of its voter-roll software. It said the review would check whether ECINet follows election laws and rules. The commission has also said that internal objections are part of institutional deliberations and that all final decisions were unanimous.
Bureau Report
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