‘They are not saints…’: Wangchuk says CJP founders have political ambitions, insists there’s nothing wrong with it

Activist Sonam Wangchuk has stated that the founders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have political ambitions, though he emphasized that this is not inherently negative. Speaking during a recent podcast with Prakhar Gupta, Wangchuk shared his observations from the Jantar Mantar protest in Delhi, where he closely interacted with CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka. The movement, which lasted nearly two months, sought the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Wangchuk clarified that his assessment of the CJP founders' political ambitions was based on his own observations rather than direct statements from them. He acknowledged that while they may harbor political aspirations, they have so far maintained the neutrality of their platform. "I think they do have political ambitions," Wangchuk said. "And perhaps there is nothing wrong with that either." He added that having young leaders with political goals could be beneficial for the country's future.

The activist recounted advising the CJP founders to keep their platform free from partisan influence to preserve its credibility. "Throughout the time I was on that stage, I kept telling them that any of you may have political ambitions, and it is actually a good thing to have young and emerging leaders," he explained. "But maintain the sanctity of this platform. Keep it neutral, apolitical and a pressure group, because that way you will be able to achieve much more."

Wangchuk also dismissed criticism that Dipke had previously worked with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), stating that past affiliations should not disqualify anyone from contributing to public causes. He stressed that the student-led movement at Jantar Mantar was widely perceived as non-partisan, a perception he said the CJP founders successfully upheld. "I was happy to see that they maintained it that way," he said. "As for having political ambitions, that is very normal."

The CJP emerged as a prominent voice during the protests against Pradhan, advocating for education reform and accountability in governance. Wangchuk's comments come amid growing speculation about the political future of the movement's leaders, though he maintained that their immediate focus remained on the movement's objectives.

#SonamWangchuk #CJP #JantarMantarProtest #DharmendraPradhan #AamAadmiParty #PoliticalAmbitions