Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has sought to distance his organisation’s agitation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from the broader “regime change” narrative, asserting that the protest was aimed at securing the CEC’s removal and not a change of government.“We are not saying we want to change the government… or we want to do something with it. We are simply saying that the Chief Election Commissioner who is rigging elections, who is not listening to his fellow Election Commissioners and who is not listening to the Supreme Court should be removed and a new Election Commissioner should be appointed in an independent and unbiased manner,” Dipke said at a late-night press conference in New Delhi.His remarks came hours after senior advocate Prashant Bhushan described the agitation against Kumar as a “fight for regime change”, prompting the BJP to intensify its attack on the Opposition and the protest movement.Dipke’s clarification also comes amid the BJP’s criticism of CJP and AISA leader Neha Bora over her earlier remarks expressing inspiration from Bangladesh’s Gen-Z movement, which preceded the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.On Thursday, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accused Rahul Gandhi and his “entire ecosystem” of seeking “Bangladesh-like anarchy” to bring about regime change and capture power at the Centre.Citing Bora’s remarks, Bhandari alleged that the agitation was not about democratic resistance but an attempt to create unrest and change the government.Dipke, however, maintained that CJP’s demand was confined to accountability within the Election Commission.“What are we asking for? We are just asking for accountability,” he said, alleging that Kumar had made changes to Form 6 without the Supreme Court’s approval and that the other two Election Commissioners had expressed disagreement with decisions taken. Dipke cited these allegations as grounds for demanding the CEC’s removal.“Is asking for this much in a democracy now a sin or a crime?” he asked.Dipke also criticised the restrictions imposed ahead of CJP’s proposed ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ programme at Connaught Place on Friday, questioning the closure of Central Park and the extensive security deployment.He said the authorities had restricted movement during the October 10 protest by shutting Metro stations and imposing other curbs. He questioned why Central Park was being closed after CJP announced its plan to gather there with the national flag.“Is waving the Tricolour now a crime in India?” Dipke asked, accusing the government of being apprehensive about the protest and questioning the scale of the security arrangements.The Delhi High Court on Thursday declined to stop the CJP demonstration scheduled for October 16 at Connaught Place. It recorded the Delhi Police’s assurance that all lawful measures would be taken to regulate the protest and maintain public order.The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), meanwhile, announced that Central Park would remain closed to the public on October 16 and 17.The competing narratives have opened a fresh political fault line in the agitation. While Bhushan’s “regime change” description and Bora’s Bangladesh reference have given the BJP grounds to portray the protests as an attempt to destabilise the elected government, Dipke is emphasising what he describes as a narrower institutional demand — the removal of the CEC.CJP is nevertheless pressing ahead with its ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ call for Friday. Delhi Police has warned participants against violating restrictions and said any demonstration must comply with rules governing the national flag and the national anthem.More than 6,000 police personnel, along with additional central forces, are expected to be deployed in the New Delhi area.