Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 5: Differences have surfaced among supporters of prominent faces of the ongoing protests, with supporters of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and AISA national president Neha Bora questioning each other's approach to the demonstrations.
Dipke and Bora, who have emerged as prominent faces of the protests, have often expressed solidarity with each other. However, their supporters have recently clashed on social media over the handling of demonstrations and the detention of protesters.
The latest exchange began after some users on X questioned why the CJP's agitation in Mumbai was allowed to continue while protesters at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi were detained and allegedly assaulted.
Responding to a post by a Congress worker who asked why "Cockroaches can roam free in Mumbai, but when NSUI & IYC hit the streets they are detained", CJP's Saurabh Das, who also rose to prominence during the party's Jantar Mantar protest, said those being detained immediately should "rethink" their strategy instead of blaming others for their failures.
The remark drew sharp criticism, with users sharing videos of Bora being dragged away and detained during protests in the national capital. Das was accused of being "arrogant" and of "victim-shaming".
In another exchange, a user wrote, "Maturity is realising Neha Bora is more talented than Abhijeet Dipke." Dipke quoted the post and replied, "Agreed."
Bora responded: "Solidarity, not comparison. We fight this together."
Dipke replied, "Inquilab Zindabad" (long live the revolution).
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj also joined the debate, alleging that the "Darbari Ecosystem" had not supported the Jantar Mantar movement from the beginning.
"They ridiculed Jantar Mantar protest from day 1. They declared it a flop. When Jantar Mantar became a huge success, they tried to woo some side players to appropriate the Jantar Mantar movement," Bharadwaj said.
His reference to "side players" drew criticism from student organisations and Congress supporters, who accused him of undermining Bora's role in the movement.
Another prominent youth face, Gurmehar Kaur, who joined the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), the youth wing of the Congress, during the protests, has also remained active on the streets.
IYC national president Uday Bhanu Chib has also been participating in the demonstrations. The IYC, National Students' Union of India (NSUI), Students' Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students' Association (AISA) have also been active in the protests.
On Sunday, Dipke again raised the issue of Bora's detention by Delhi Police.
"Delhi Police has once again shown its cowardice by detaining Neha and Rosy (an independent journalist) for raising their voices… So much for women empowerment @narendramodi," Dipke said in a post on X.
The exchanges have highlighted growing differences among supporters of various groups involved in the protests, even as prominent youth and student leaders continue to participate in the demonstrations.