Jantar Mantar denotified as protest site, CJP says ‘dictator is terrified’

Less than 24 hours after the ultimatum by the Cockroach Janta Party to specify a date for protest, the Ministry of Home Affairs de-notified Jantar Mantar as a protest site. The Cockroach Janta Party strongly condemned the move; it claimed that the “dictator is terrified”. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh also claimed that “panic has gripped the PM-HM duo”.

The three new designated protest venues are Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi.

“Ab poora desh Jantar Mantar banega!”

In a series of posts, CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him: “Fattu Nandu”. He claimed that Jantar Mantar was not a protest site; it had already been turned into a “war zone by the cowardly dictator".

“Today, Modi denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. Tomorrow, he will denotify democracy itself. The dictator’s problem was never the protest site. It was the very idea of people protesting,” wrote Dipke.

He added that Modi has mistaken Jantar Mantar for a protest site, not a spirit of resistance. It can never be taken away.

He warned: “Ab poora desh Jantar Mantar banega!”

Also Read: Women protestors allege Delhi Police manhandled them during Jantar Mantar march

Congress, SP react to Jantar Mantar denotification

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the Modi-Shah duo was panicking and democracy is not important to them, it is all about "Demokursi"

“It is a definite sign of the extreme panic that has gripped the PM-HM duo that the historic Jantar Mantar will no longer be a place where our democracy is given a daily booster dose. The poisonous pair is embattled, and we have seen in the past few days how brutally they have dealt with peaceful public protests. Democracy no longer matters to them. It is all a matter of Demokursi.”

Samajwadi Party National President Akhilesh Yadav shared a video on social media and wrote, "Banning ‘Jantar Mantar’ for peaceful democratic protests marks the biggest defeat for the BJP government

The siege on public space

CPIM General Secretary MA Baby, in a column, mentioned that under capitalism, formally, democratic freedoms are open to all; however, practically, it is restricted by those who own material resources, which is the elites. He asserted that whenever there is any collective expression, such as protests, democratic spaces are monopolised. He quoted Vladimir Lenin's insight: “freedom without access is just fiction.”