The Centre’s decision to de-notify Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site has triggered a sharp reaction from leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), who accused the government of restricting the right to peaceful protest and questioned the rationale behind the move.Reacting to the decision, CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka took a sarcastic swipe at the government, asking: “Why not declare Mt Everest as protest site?”His remark came amid the CJP’s continuing push to hold a protest in the national capital and its criticism of restrictions around Jantar Mantar, one of Delhi’s traditional venues for political demonstrations.CJP leader Saurav Das described the de-notification as “unacceptable” and directly questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the government’s decision.“Why is Narendra Modi scared of Jantar Mantar? The Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India,” Das said, questioning whether the Ministry of Home Affairs had consulted citizens, organisations or other stakeholders before taking the decision.He alleged that the move amounted to an attack on the fundamental right to protest and peaceful assembly.“Take it in writing — just how they are denotifying people’s Jantar Mantar, the Prime Minister will soon denotify democracy in India,” Das said.He termed the decision “arbitrary” and said the CJP would not accept it.“Ab poora desh Jantar Mantar ban raha hai,” Das said, signalling that the party intended to portray the restriction not merely as a dispute over a protest venue but as an issue concerning the wider right to dissent.The development comes at a politically sensitive time, with the CJP seeking fresh permission to stage demonstrations at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The organisation had recently approached the Parliament Street police station seeking a date for its proposed Jantar Mantar protest and had given the Delhi Police a 24-hour deadline to respond.The latest remarks indicate that the government’s decision on Jantar Mantar could itself become a fresh issue in the CJP’s agitation. Rather than limiting the dispute to where the protest can be held, the organisation is attempting to turn the de-notification into a larger argument over access to public spaces and the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.The government’s decision and the restrictions governing protests are likely to remain under scrutiny as the CJP weighs its next course of action.