The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday expanded its outreach by joining a Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) conference attended by farmer leader Rakesh Tikait at the Kedarnath Sahni Auditorium here, signalling an attempt to broaden its movement beyond education issues and forge a common platform of farmers, students and youth.
The move comes days after the outfit suspended its 36-day protest over paper leak and exam fraud cases, while warning that it would resume nationwide protests if action continued against student protesters.
Representing the CJP, Ashutosh Ranka and Dipka Baliyan attended the event as a gesture of thanks to the farm leaders for their support to the students’ movement at Jantar Mantar that culminated with resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Speaking to The Tribune, Ranka said, “We were here to thank all farmers and their leaders because when our protest needed momentum, many farm leaders, including Bhartiya Kisan Union’s chief Rakesh Tikait, provided their unconditional support.”
According to the CJP leader, the discussions centred on evolving a joint strategy that could bring farmers, students and youth together under one platform for future campaigns.
In his address at the conference, Ranka said the CJP hoped to widen its movement beyond its original demands.
“We hope that our farmer brothers and the students and youth of this country will work together to surround the Modi government from all sides,” he said.
Ranka said his separate discussion with Tikait was very positive and would help lay the foundation for future collaborative movements.
The outreach marks the first major political step by the CJP after ending its agitation at Jantar Mantar. The protest had begun over alleged paper leaks and examination fraud. During the course of the agitation, Tikait had visited the protest site on multiple occasions and publicly backed the students’ demands.
Addressing the convention, Ranka shared the experience of the students’ agitation that led to the resignation of the Education Minister and appealed for stronger unity between students and farmers in the struggles ahead. With both organisations now speaking of coordinated action, the latest meeting between the CJP and Tikait indicates that the student movement is seeking to transform itself into a broader political campaign linking education, agriculture and youth issues under a common banner.