Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: A public spat broke out between the Cockroach Janta Party and the Congress regarding legal support for students. Police detained thousands after an October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar. The crowd demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral roll irregularities. Police held CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka. CJP legal head Ratna Singh claimed she and three other lawyers were also detained before the march.
The dispute turned heated on October 12. Ratna Singh praised independent lawyers as the unsung heroes of the protests. She urged the public to avoid making legal aid a political issue. "No one is claiming credit for doing the bare minimum of helping people," she wrote. She noted that more volunteers were joining the CJP team, though organizing them takes time.
Assam Congress spokesperson Reetam Singh countered these claims on social media. He argued that CJP left students in the dark. He claimed the Indian Youth Congress legal cell received multiple distress calls from students unable to find help. IYC president Uday Bhanu formed a rapid response team led by Roopesh to bridge the gap. Reetam Singh urged the CJP to utilize these Congress-backed lawyers and keep a working phone line open for desperate students and worried parents.
Communication at the site proved difficult. Jammers blocked data and phone signals. Tensions spilled into the wider political arena on October 12 as the Congress-led Opposition attempted a march to the Supreme Court. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant refused to meet the group, stating the court would not involve itself in political fights.
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