Jaipur: Fresh from the headline-grabbing Jantar Mantar campaign against former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Abhijit Dipke of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has found himself suddenly in demand again — this time in Rajasthan.Protesting govt employees and teachers, seeking the ouster of Rajasthan education minister Madan Dilawar, have invited Dipke to lend his agitation expertise to their campaign against the BJP state govt.Dilawar refused to comment, when TOI reached out to him for a statement Monday.The Rajasthan Shikshak Sangh (Ekikrit), a school teachers’ association, has reached out to activist Sonam Wangchuk and CJP founder Dipke, hoping their Jantar Mantar-tested protest credentials can help turn up the heat in Rajasthan.“The way you (Dipke) organised a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi regarding the NEET paper leak issue and achieved success is truly commendable. Rajasthan’s education minister, Madan Dilawar, displays a cruel and dictatorial attitude towards the state’s education system and its teachers, causing them great distress. His removal is essential for improving Rajasthan’s education system, and I hope you will extend your support in response to my invitation,” states a letter written by Ranjeet Meena, state president of Rajasthan Shikshak Sangh (Ekikrit).On Sunday, the Akhil Rajasthan Rajya Karmachari Sanyukt Mahasangh (Ekikrit) staged a protest in Jaipur and submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, accusing Dilawar of controversial remarks about women teachers, rude conduct with educators and inaction on long-pending education department issues.With Dilawar already known for frequent controversial remarks, campaigners appear to believe Dipke’s arrival could add just the right amount of political pressure to their demand for a cabinet clean-up.“The minister has made inappropriate comments about women’s attire, checked women’s phones, humiliated teachers, made bizarre and erratic statements, and caused confusion within the department by proposing changes to textbooks and uniforms mid-session. He even behaves irresponsibly toward those who come to meet him regarding their grievances, often dismissing them abruptly,” said Meena.The Akhil Rajasthan Rajya Karmachari Sanyukt Mahasangh (Ekikrit) said that over 5 lakh teachers in Rajasthan were “bearing the brunt of the education minister’s incompetence and rude conduct.”State president of the association Rajendra Rana said, “There are multiple complaints against the minister, and govt employees in the education department have nowhere to raise their issues. Grade-III teachers are not being transferred, the minister is checking phones of female employees during inspections, odd statements are made by him that are impractical to follow, and there is no focus on improving quality of education.”
