NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday after the judicial custody of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka was extended by two more days, accusing the government of using state machinery to intimidate young protesters.In a video shared on social media, Dipke questioned the Prime Minister’s leadership and praised Das and Ranka for remaining defiant despite spending five days in judicial custody.“You must be feeling very strong keeping a 26-year-old Saurav Das in jail. You must be feeling very strong beating children on the streets. You must be feeling very strong putting up barricades across Delhi and dragging students on the streets,” he said.Dipke claimed that Das and Ranka had gone to Jantar Mantar to wave the national flag but were sent to judicial custody. He also alleged that their court hearings had been repeatedly postponed. “Is this strength? Hiding behind the police, hiding behind the courts, is this Narendra Modi’s strength?” he asked.“Do you feel like a very powerful Prime Minister by keeping them in jail? You are just a coward,” Dipke added.Then, praising Das for remaining composed despite his detention, Dipke said the young protester had previously admitted that he would struggle to spend even a day in jail. “After spending five days in jail, the same Saurav Das, who himself thought he would not be able to survive even a single day in jail, walks into court on the fifth day with a smile,” he said.“And even when he learns that his judicial custody has been extended, he is not afraid. That is strength,” he added. Dipke had also shared a photo of Das smiling as he appeared in court.Read more:Dipke share photo of Das, Ranka after judicial custody extendedMeanwhile, continuing in his video statement, Dipke also praised Ranka and the families of both protesters for refusing to give in to fear. Recalling a conversation with Das’s mother, he said she had told him, “I know he will be fine. He won’t break so easily.”He further accused the government of attempting to silence dissent through arrests and intimidation, insisting that such measures would not deter young protesters. “Mr Modi, I’m sorry to say this, none of us are scared of you. And none of us is going to remain silent,” he said.
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Referring to his own experience of being jailed twice, Dipke added, “If you think that sending us to jail will make us stop speaking or remain silent, that is not going to happen.”He also quoted a dialogue from the film Mary Kom, saying, “Don’t frighten someone so much that their fear itself disappears.”“You have frightened the youth of this country as much as you could. But you have frightened us so much that the fear inside us has now disappeared. So now we will not be afraid,” he said.
