00:00What is the Kokhrut Janta Party up to today?
00:02Well, the Kokhrut Janta Party today announced the formation of a national working committee.
00:08After two days of brainstorming in Sambhaji Nagar in Aurangabad,
00:12it has launched a six-month expansion framework with Abhijit Deepke, the founder and national convener,
00:19Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das are co-conveners,
00:22and they've also announced their support for the student protests in Jarkhand.
00:26Well, joining me now is Ashutosh Ranka.
00:30He joins me there from Sambhaji Nagar.
00:33Good to have you, Ashutosh, on the show.
00:36What does this mean?
00:36You are starting a new campaign.
00:39Can you tell us what is this new campaign which is called Kya Bolti Public?
00:44What is this campaign all about, Ashutosh?
00:47No, Rajdeep, I think what CJP has been able to achieve in the last couple of months is incredible.
00:54The youth of this country has really woken up.
00:57So, what has happened in the last couple of months is just incredible.
01:03The youth of this country have achieved something that was unthinkable a couple of months ago.
01:09And this is not just about Mr. Pradhan's designation, but the broader asks for accountability.
01:15The fact that the youth of this country doesn't fear this government anymore, that's been an incredible victory.
01:22The nation is looking at CJP with high hopes.
01:25And that's why we have decided to really go across the country, really hear people out.
01:31The biggest complaint this generation has had from the government is the fact that there was no one who was
01:39ready to listen to them.
01:40And that's exactly what we want to change.
01:43Starting September 1st, this Kya Bolti Public campaign intends to begin a listening tour, one of the biggest of its
01:52kind across the country.
01:53We'll be going around meeting students, meeting youngsters, asking them what exactly is that they want.
02:00How do we come up with a broader reforms agenda for the youth of this country?
02:05And that's exactly what we'll be doing over the course of next few months.
02:11Ashutosh, the question I want to raise, though, is that there are those who believe that you are increasingly veering
02:19to perhaps moving towards a...
02:22You're calling it a protest movement, but many believe this is a prelude to forming some kind of a political
02:28party, possibly backed by the armed army party.
02:31How true is that?
02:32Is this now the first prelude towards a political party?
02:36No, I think, Gazi, we have been very clear that we want to continue working as a political pressure group
02:42for now.
02:42And as a part of that movement, we want to reach out to every town, every district, every village of
02:50this country.
02:50We really want to hear people out.
02:53We want the people of this country to help us draft a reforms agenda, which will have education system at
02:59the center,
02:59but also institutional accountability from mainstream media, from the election commission, from the judiciary.
03:06We want to form a collective, a collective of all forms of organizations, activists, civil society groups to come together.
03:15And as a collective, build this nation together.
03:19That's exactly what we will remain focused on.
03:22People are free to speculate as they wish.
03:25They have been speculating about us for the last couple of months.
03:29We have been very open and transparent with what we want to achieve, what we intend to achieve.
03:34We exactly achieved what we set out to achieve and we'll continue working hard for the people of this country.
03:43You know, because it will be seen as a very ambitious agenda to say, we are going to bring solidarity
03:48with all these groups.
03:50You know, and there are specific issues.
03:52For example, in Jarkhand, when there are student protests, will CJP land up there?
03:56If tomorrow there is a paper leak in another part of the country, will CJP land up there?
04:01I mean, is CJP simply now going to go from one agitation to the other?
04:05Is it about agitational politics, street politics, or is it, as I said, about building something more permanent and steady?
04:14Are you going to do tactical politics or are you going to do something more long term?
04:21Rajdeep, we are creating a platform for the youth of this country.
04:25A platform where their issues are not just addressed, not just heard, but also addressed and taken up at the
04:30highest possible levels.
04:32Now, whatever shape or form that requires us to do, we will do that.
04:35And as far as protests across the countries are concerned, not just Jarkhand, in wherever, whichever state,
04:43whatever political parties in power is respective of the political party in power,
04:48we will stand with the students and youth of this country.
04:51We stand with the students of Jarkhand.
04:53We stand with the students from all over the country who have struggled with this system, who have been let
04:59down by this system,
05:01and who are still looking for reasons to find some hope in this system.
05:06We stand with all of them, whatever political party be in power in that respective state.
05:14Okay, I'm going to leave it there.
05:15Ashutosh Ranka for joining me there from Shambaji Nagar.
05:19Thank you so much.
05:19Thank you so much.
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