Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday, 16 October 2026, launched a sharp attack on Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke from Patna, calling him a 'terrorist' and alleging that Dipke was under the 'misconception' of seeing himself as freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. Singh also turned his fire on Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, demanding that he apologise to the Supreme Court and to the country.

Giriraj Singh's attack on Dipke

The Union Minister alleged that Dipke had begun his public life as a representative of the youth but had since aligned himself with opposition forces. 'He (Dipke) is under the misconception that he has become Bhagat Singh. These people are terrorists. He first came as a representative of the youth, but has now become a representative of the Aam Aadmi Party, Rahul Gandhi and the tukde-tukde gang. Strict action must be taken against those who spread anarchy. He is not Bhagat Singh and should not live under this misconception,' Singh said.

His remarks came a day after the CJP chief accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ordering a crackdown on protesters to 'protect only one man, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.' Dipke had also announced a 'Lehra Do Tiranga' rally at Central Park in Delhi's Connaught Place.

Supreme Court notice and the opposition march

The Supreme Court recently issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi, the Indian National Congress (Congress), and other INDIA Bloc leaders, seeking a response regarding their 12 October protest march to the apex court. Responding to the development, Giriraj Singh urged Gandhi to be cautious about the responsibilities of the position he holds as LoP.

'Rahul Gandhi is LoP but his working style is below the Cockroach Janta Party leaders. He is filled with arrogance and thinks that the right to sit on India's throne has only been granted to the Nehru-Gandhi family,' Singh alleged.

Singh's remarks on Rahul Gandhi and PM Modi

Accusing Gandhi of harbouring jealousy towards Prime Minister Modi, Singh alleged: 'He (Rahul) thinks why PM Modi, the son of a poor and marginalised family, who was a tea seller, is sitting there?' He further claimed that Gandhi wanted to 'destroy the country in his hunger for power because he cannot come to power by winning elections,' adding that Gandhi should focus on the states where the Congress has remained out of power for decades.

'With the same arrogance, he went to the Supreme Court with a big army (of protesters). He should apologise to the apex court as well as to the country,' Singh added.

Background: The voter roll controversy

The escalating political row is rooted in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Opposition leaders, student organisations, civil society members, and the CJP have been staging sustained demonstrations against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the SIR process has resulted in the names of over 13 crore voters being removed from the draft voter list — a charge that critics argue strikes at the credibility of India's electoral process. The government has not publicly acknowledged any systematic irregularity in the process. With the Supreme Court now in the picture, the confrontation between the opposition and the Centre is entering a new and more consequential phase.