Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has said the founders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) may harbour political ambitions, but stated that there is nothing wrong with young leaders entering politics. Speaking on a podcast with Prakhar Gupta, Wangchuk said he had formed the view after closely observing CJP founders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka during their student movement in Delhi.
"As far as their political ambitions are concerned, I think they do have political ambitions. I have assessed them quite closely, and I believe they certainly have political ambitions. And perhaps there is nothing wrong with that either," Wangchuk said. He added that the founders were not “saints” who had no political aspirations, but said such ambitions should not be confused with the objectives of the movement they were leading.
Sonam Wangchuk added that some critics had pointed out that Dipke had previously worked with the Aam Aadmi Party when he joined the student movement. However, he said he saw no problem with someone having prior links to a political party.
Wangchuk worked closely with Dipke, Das and Ranka during the nearly two-month-long student protest seeking the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He said he had repeatedly advised the organisers to keep the movement separate from party politics. “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. 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,” he said.
In addition, he stated that the movement gained credibility because people did not associate it with the BJP, Congress or AAP. “I was happy to see that they maintained it that way. As for having political ambitions, that is very normal. If you start your career by taking up such issues, I think that is a good thing,” he said. Wangchuk's comments come amid speculation over the political future of the young activists who were involved in the student-led campaign.
