After the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) made headlines over the past few weeks, former Supreme Court judge Justice Markande Katju has floated a new party. According to Katju, the Ishq Karo Party will be a “very serious endeavor to deal with the huge problems facing India”.
Justice Katju even offered Trinamul MP Mahua Moitra to join his new party, with his X page filled with his criticism of the CJP, calling its founder a “fool” in some posts for demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over lapses in competitive exams like NEET, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
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In a post on X, Justice Katju said people might confuse the party as a joke, “a kind of Valentine’s Day to promote romance between boys and girls.” “But this is a completely wrong concept,” he said, adding that problems of poverty, malnutrition among children, unemployment and other similar issues in India could be eliminated through “unity” among people.
“We must love (Ishq) for all our people, irrespective of caste, religion, race etc. Only then can we wage a great popular struggle (Jan Sangharsh) led by modern-minded leaders, to liberate our people from their terrible plight.” He accused politicians of seeking power and not “genuinely” caring about the people.
“The goal of the PKK is to combat this evil, and to strengthen the unity of our people. We must have love (adoration) for all members of our people, regardless of class, religion, race, etc.” He said.
Katju hits Deepaki
When the Cockroach Janta Party held its first protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on June 6, Katju criticized the ideology of the party and its founder Abhijit Debaki, saying the resignation of the Union Education Minister would not make a difference. “The proof that Abhijit Debaki is an idiot is clear from the fact that one of his main demands is the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, India’s education minister. But if he resigns he will only be replaced by another minister. So what difference will it make,” he wrote on X. He shared the same comment on several posts about the CJP’s Jantar Mantar protest.
Meanwhile, the CJP was mentioned at the India Caucus meeting on Monday, where leaders expressed differing views on its importance and purpose, PTI reported, citing sources. Adding that this issue was not part of the official agenda but was referred to by many leaders in their presentations.
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One opposition leader said there were concerns among some participants about the nature of the movement, which has a large online presence, and whether there were political motives behind it.
“There were some concerns about the real intentions,” one opposition leader said, adding that the prevailing feeling at the meeting was that the development reflected real discontent among the youth.
According to sources, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah noted that Sarsour’s Janata Party is “doing something right” and suggested that the opposition parties deal with them.
