Union Minister and Republican Party of India (Athawale) chief Ramdas Athawale on Saturday, 3 October publicly condemned Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke for remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding an unconditional apology. The controversy erupted a day earlier during a protest at Mumbai's Shivaji Park against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

What Dipke Said

Addressing the protest gathering on Friday, Dipke took aim at the Prime Minister's frequent references to his early life as a tea seller. 'This person is just travelling around the world with our money. One thing is that he keeps saying, ‘I have sold tea, I have sold tea, I have sold tea.’ Why did you sell tea? Did we ask you to sell tea? We said you could have gone to school, studied, and got a job,' Dipke said, according to reports from the protest site.

He also made a sardonic remark about the Prime Minister's appearance, saying, 'PM Modi’s fashion sense and skin care are on point. Even the big actors and models cannot match his style.'

Athawale's Sharp Rebuke

Reacting swiftly, Athawale told reporters that Dipke had developed 'immense overconfidence.' He said: 'While it is good that some young people support him, making disparaging remarks about the country’s Prime Minister is extremely inappropriate. I demand that he apologises for the words used by him.'

The Union Minister was careful to distinguish between political opposition and personal attacks. 'They can join the Congress or go wherever they want to…but using such language is not right. I condemn him for making such remarks against Devendra Fadnavis ji and for insulting PM Modi. He should apologise,' Athawale added.

The Fadnavis Angle

Athawale also noted that on Thursday, Dipke had staged a 'fiery roadside protest' directed at Maharashtra Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis, daring authorities to arrest him in connection with the agitation against the Chief Election Commissioner. The back-to-back confrontations have raised the political temperature in Mumbai ahead of what observers see as a heightened period of street-level activism.

Row Over Ambedkar and Nehru Remarks

A separate strand of controversy emerged from Dipke's speech, in which he reportedly credited former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for bringing Dr B.R. Ambedkar into prominence. Athawale rejected the claim outright. 'It is also incorrect to claim that Nehru “made” Babasaheb Ambedkar; Babasaheb Ambedkar contributed to the progress of the entire nation. He made a monumental contribution to the country by drafting the Constitution,' the minister said.

Athawale noted pointedly that Dipke belongs to the same community as Ambedkar, adding: 'This is not the culture of the Marathi community and neither of Ambedkarites.' The remark signals that the dispute has moved beyond partisan politics into questions of community identity and historical memory.

What Comes Next

As of Saturday, Dipke had not issued any apology. With the CJP's protest campaign showing no signs of winding down, and with Athawale's demand now public, the exchange is likely to deepen friction between the ruling alliance's allies and the emerging street-protest movement in Maharashtra.