CJP is a political outfit, says Assam’s BTC

Guwahati: Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Chief Executive Member Hagrama Mohilary in Assam on Wednesday launched a sharp criticism towards the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), describing it as a political party during a public interaction at the Bijni Youth Festival in the Chirang district.

Mohilary attended the event as the chief guest on the third day of the four-day festival, organised by the Bijni district unit of the Bodoland People's Front (BPF), at the Bijni District Sports Association ground.

During the interaction, the BTC chief also spoke about his younger days and recalled how his desire to participate in an agitation had influenced his educational journey.

“I also wanted to take part in an agitation. I left engineering after studying for just two days to join the agitation,” Mohilary said, recalling his decision to leave his studies to become involved in the movement.

His remarks came against the backdrop of recent controversies surrounding the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led political outfit that has been campaigning against the Election Commission's electoral roll revision exercise and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The party and its supporters have alleged that changes to electoral rolls could exclude eligible voters, while the Election Commission has maintained that deleted voters can seek re-registration. The CJP has also faced confrontations with law enforcement agencies.

In September, Assam Police detained co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka and more than 30 party workers in Guwahati ahead of a planned regional volunteers' meeting.

The party alleged that the action was intended to prevent its members from holding the gathering. The detained members were subsequently released.

On Wednesday, Ranka and another CJP leader, Saurav Das, had been remanded to five days of judicial custody in Delhi following a protest-related incident at Jantar Mantar.

Police alleged violations of previous undertakings and obstruction of officers, while the party has vowed to continue its campaign.

Mohilary's reaction at the youth festival brought the unusual party name into the spotlight during an event otherwise centred on youth participation and his recollections of the Bodoland movement.

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