CJP finds in AAP an all-weather friend supporting it at every turn

Within hours of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka posting a video on X on August 21 about him and other CJP volunteers being attacked while checking the quality of government schools in Rajasthan, another X user — AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal — quote-retweeted it, blaming the BJP for the attack.

“What’s going on in the country? BJP’s goons have brutally attacked CJP’s volunteers. They beat them up, tore their clothes, and smashed the car windows. Is all this just so they can’t raise their voices for giving kids a good education?” Mr. Kejriwal said in a post on X on August 21, retweeting Mr. Ranka’s post.

The retweet gathered more likes and reposts than the original post, and it is not a lone case.

Since the beginning of the CJP, Mr Kejriwal, other top leaders, and the AAP ecosystem have supported it, even before it became a mass movement in Delhi, drawing tens of thousands of people to Jantar Mantar every day.

On August 18, when right-wing handles were attacking CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke alleging that his degree was fake, Mr. Kejriwal retweeted a video on Mr. Dipke, extending his support.

On August 17, when the Rajasthan Government restricted entry of outsiders into government schools, following a CJP campaign to check government schools, Mr. Kejriwal said in a post on X, “Instead of banning outsiders’ entry, why not fix the school?”

Even in the initial days of the CJP movement, Mr. Kejriwal supported it online and asked people to join the protest at Jantar Mantar. Later in July, he visited the protest site along with other leaders.

Both Mr. Dipke and Mr. Ranka have worked for the AAP in the past, while CJP co-convenor Saurav Das’s proximity to Mr. Kejriwal is hardly a secret.

Interestingly, the support by the larger AAP ecosystem has been more than merely extending political support at crucial junctures.

“15000 + GenZ crowd at Connaught Place right now because Jantar Mantar is packed . Naturally without any call of protest. #CJP” AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a post on X on July 21. He has made several such posts supporting the CJP.

The X timeline of Akshay Marathe, who wrote articles as an “AAP spokesperson” until February last year, has over the last two months been filled with posts supporting the CJP.

“Abhijeet Dipke shares his story in this fantastic 10-minute film produced by the New York Times. The cockroaches paint India in the best light possible in these times. Watch this — it will make you proud of young Indians!” Mr. Marathe posted on X on Sunday.

“Power of a mass movement — everyone is spurred into action to protect their jobs! From politicians to bureaucrats,” Mr. Marathe said while retweeting a video posted on X by Mr. Dipke on how authorities have visited a school after CJP raised issues.

“Hum Jeet Gayeeeeeeeeeee,” Mr. Marathe said on Facebook on July 25 when Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister, while he posted a video about Mr. Dipke and the movement.