Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) chief spokesperson Saurav Das on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of the youth-led movement turning into a political party for now, saying its immediate focus remains on the movement rather than electoral politics.
The comments came after CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and Das met at Dipke's residence in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for internal strategy discussions.
"We achieved a historic victory for the youth, and after that a lot of questions came up about where this movement would go and what direction it would take," Das told reporters.
ALSO READ: CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke Questions FIR Against Woman Over Remarks Against PM Modi
"So we've all gathered here in Aurangabad today to think about that, to build a strategy around it. We'll hold discussions today, and there's a two-day meeting tomorrow and the day after," he added.
Das said the group wanted to take the movement to the grassroots given the scale of support it enjoyed on the ground.
"We want to go to the people who support us, understand their pain and suffering, and bring a good agenda for the youth," he said, adding that a concrete plan would be shared with the media, and with supporters, by August 6.
Asked directly about speculation that the CJP would float a political party, Das said no such decision had been made.
"There are already plenty of political parties — 750, 800 political parties. If people still have pain, suffering, and anguish, it means the answer is not a political party. The answer is a grassroots-level movement, an awakening. And that's what the CJP is doing," he said, describing the outfit as "a pressure group" the country needed.
On demands from supporters active on social media for a formal party, he said, "We're listening to all the demands, we're taking feedback from people too, but as far as we feel, right now there isn't a need for a political party — there's a need for a people's movement."
Das also raised the alleged crackdown on protesters at Jantar Mantar on July 20.
"We had pledged that accountability must also be fixed for that," he said, adding that MPs were demanding accountability from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, "on whose orders the Delhi Police and the RAF... showed such brutality," and calling for a parliamentary discussion on the issue.
The CJP, a satirical movement founded on May 16 by Dipke after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant's remarks comparing unemployed youth to "cockroaches," led weeks of protests over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak that culminated in Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation in July.
ALSO READ: CJP Withdraws Protest With Immediate Effect After Centre Agrees To Demands
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.