Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) convenor Abhijeet Dipke on Sunday stepped up his campaign in support of Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants, demanding reforms in the recruitment body and the resignation of its chairman Vivek Bhimanwar amid protests over alleged examination irregularities and paper leaks.
Interacting with MPSC aspirants in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dipke asked them to post two-minute videos on Instagram demanding Bhimanwar’s removal. He also flagged unemployment in Maharashtra, saying a situation in which “15-20 lakh youths” were without jobs was not good for any state.
Targets MPSC chairman
Dipke referred to allegations levelled against Bhimanwar relating to his earlier tenure as Maharashtra’s Transport Commissioner, including those concerning the Regional Transport Office system, licences and number plates. Bhimanwar has denied wrongdoing in connection with allegations against him.
Dipke also sought to link the allegations to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, making unsubstantiated claims about whether the Chief Minister had benefited from alleged corruption. He further questioned whether such money was being used to influence legislators. No evidence was cited by Dipke to substantiate these allegations.
The CJP leader said Bhimanwar should step down and called for broader reforms in the MPSC to restore the confidence of aspirants.
Takes dig at Fadnavis
Dipke also invoked Fadnavis’s well-known “Me Punha Yein” — “I will come back” — slogan while warning that the Chief Minister could face political consequences if his government failed to address the concerns of MPSC aspirants.
In a sarcastic reference to Fadnavis’s political career, Dipke said he admired the Chief Minister for his “hard work”, recalling the early-morning swearing-in ceremony of November 2019.
“He wakes up at 5 am to take an oath and also wakes up the government. He says ‘Me Punha Yein’. But if he does not listen to the MPSC aspirants, he will never make a comeback,” Dipke said.
He said aspirants were also voters and argued that an elected government was obligated to listen to their concerns.
Paper leak protests
MPSC has faced protests following the alleged leak of the question paper for the Drug Inspector Group-B recruitment examination. The screening examination for 154 posts was conducted on March 22, but the recruitment process was subsequently cancelled after a police investigation indicated that the paper had allegedly been leaked before the examination.
The controversy has prompted aspirants and Opposition leaders to demand accountability at the commission. Protesters have also alleged procedural lapses in the conduct of recruitment examinations.
Bhimanwar has rejected calls for his resignation, maintaining that the Drug Inspector paper leak occurred before he took charge of the commission. He took oath as chairman on February 18 and assumed charge on March 3. The commission has said it cancelled the affected recruitment process, lodged a police complaint and initiated measures to strengthen examination security.
CJP had earlier set a September 24 deadline for Bhimanwar and MPSC secretary Mahendra Harpalkar to resign, warning of a statewide campaign if its demand was not met.
Urges aspirants to fight
Dipke also referred to student-led protests over education and recruitment issues in other states, claiming such campaigns had forced governments to respond to concerns over school infrastructure.
He cited an alleged attack on CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka and other volunteers during an attempt to inspect a government school in Rajasthan last month, and claimed that student pressure had pushed governments to allocate money towards repairing schools.
Calling on MPSC aspirants to continue their agitation, Dipke said they should fight for their rights without fear and use constitutional means to press their demands.
He said aspirants often underestimated their collective strength and argued that they had the right to challenge cases registered against them while participating in protests.