BR Ambedkar's grandson backs CJP protest, calls Delhi curbs dictatorship

Prakash Ambedkar backed the CJP protest against the Election Commission and condemned curbs in Delhi. He said suppressing a peaceful agitation threatens democratic rights and could deepen unrest.Prakash Ambedkar backed the CJP protest.Mumbai,Oct 10, 2026 12:44 ISTDr BR Ambedkar's grandson and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar on Saturday backed the Cockroach Janta Party protest against the Election Commission in New Delhi and accused the Centre of using "dictatorship" to curb a peaceful agitation.Calling for a gathering at Hutatma Chowk in south Mumbai, he said the right to protest was being obstructed through curbs on movement and police action.Ambedkar also criticised the Congress for not bringing Opposition parties together on the issue and said Rahul Gandhi should invite all parties and organisations to join the agitation. He said the matter should not be seen only through the lens of electoral gains and losses, and that voters would decide whom to elect in the next polls.The VBA leader alleged that restrictions on transport services, including cancelled trains and the closure of metro stations, were meant to stop people from reaching Delhi for the protest. "Political parties have the right to protest, but the way attempts are being made to suppress this agitation amounts to dictatorship," said Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr BR Ambedkar. He claimed that people were being stopped at barricades and forced to walk several kilometres to reach the protest venue, and said notices and arrests were being used to discourage participation. "The government should allow the protest to take place peacefully and listen to what people have to say. You are not the owners of this country. People have elected you for five years. Rule peacefully, but do not follow a path that leads to dictatorship," he said.Ambedkar urged CJP convenor Abhijeet Dipke not to withdraw from the agitation despite the possibility of arrest or legal action. The CJP has called for a demonstration against the CEC over allegations of voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and changes linked to Form 6, which is used for voter registration. "Abhijeet Dipke should not back down now. Even if he is arrested, an FIR is registered against him, or he is sent to jail, he should continue the fight. Once you take up a struggle, you must see it through to the end," Ambedkar said.He also said that even during major agitations such as the Emergency and the Mandal Commission protests, governments had not resorted to such heavy-handed suppression. Ambedkar warned that continued authoritarianism could endanger democratic institutions and lead to serious unrest, while maintaining that peaceful protest was a constitutional right and authorities should allow the agitation to go ahead without obstruction.- Ends