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NDA constituent the Republican Party of India (A) chief Union Minister Ramdas Athawale’s offer to Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke to join the party has met with a sarcastic jibe, with Dipke asking whether he was not an “anti-national” to them just a few months ago.

“Abhi, why were you anti-national a month ago?” (Just a month ago, wasn't I anti-national for you?),” stated Dipke in a post on Instagram.

Athawale’s offer to Dipke

Dipke’s reaction comes after Athawale, while speaking to reporters, described the CJP founder as an “Ambedkarite” who should consider joining the Republican Party of India (A) and become a part of the ruling NDA coalition.

Also Read: CJP Dipke’s August 15 plan: What it means for rural schools

“I think Abhijeet Dipke is an Ambedkarite. He is active and young. He should consider joining Republic Party of India (A),” Athawale told reporters. “We are a government that believes people should be punished if they do wrong. So, he should join the ruling faction,” Athawale earlier told reporters as quoted by the Hindustan Times.

Pradhan’s ‘anti-national forces’ remark

The Union Minister’s remarks seemingly referred to the CJP-led students’ protests at Jantar Mantar last month against alleged exam irregularities which ultimately led to the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as the Union Education Minister.

Also Read: CJP’s Dipke dares ’emperor’ to reveal degree after BJP targets his education funding

Interestingly, Pradhan in his social media announcement of his decision to step down as Education Minister alleged that his decision was aimed at preventing “anti-national forces” from exploiting the situation at Jantar Mantar and across the country.

“Considering the situation at Jantar Mantar and across the country, with the aim of preventing anti-national forces from exploiting it, preserving national unity, ensuring that not a single Indian student’s future gets entangled in legal complexities, and allowing our children to devote their time to studies and focus on building their careers, I have submitted my resignation to the Honorable Prime Minister,” stated Pradhan in a post on X.

‘Anti-national’ tag resurfaces

Abhijeet Dipke’s reference to being called “anti-national” comes against the backdrop of his criticism of BJP leaders for using the term against students taking part in protests.

The CJP founder had backed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comments on August 7, when Bhagwat said Gen Z should not be branded “anti-national” for protesting over genuine concerns. Dipke also urged Bhagwat to pass the same message on to BJP leaders and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Also Read: ‘How did Dipke’s father fund son’s foreign studies?’: RTI activist seeks probe on CJP

“The most significant statement made by Mohan Bhagwat yesterday was that Gen Z should not be called anti-nationals. He stated that protesting is their right and their issues are genuine. I completely agree with this,” Dipke had told YEARS.

Dipke targets BJP leaders

At the time, Dipke had also taken aim at BJP leaders over their remarks about the protesting students. He claimed that members of the party had themselves used the “anti-national” tag while speaking about those involved in the protests.

“It is the BJP members themselves who are calling them anti-nationals. Dharmendra Pradhan had called them the ‘B-team of terrorists,’ and Nitin Nabin called them a ‘virus.’ I hope they will now listen to Mohan Bhagwat ji and heed his words, as it is unlikely that the BJP would go against the RSS and say anything contrary,” Dipke earlier said.