Gandhi, Ambedkar and the Cockroaches: the Narrative of State Repression and the Student Protests
Despite its symbolic victory two weeks ago, the ideological and constitutional ‘legitimacy’ of the CJP movement is being scrutinised by the BJP-RSS repeatedly. Gandhi’s and Ambedkar’s vision constitute a firm response to the Sangh’s ideological fabrications justifying the state repression against protestors.
Published on: 15 August 2026, 06:27 am
THE COCKROACH JANATA PARTY’S march toward the Parliament on July 20 resulted in the Delhi Police cracking down on protestors with lathi charges, tear gas, and pellet guns. After the resignation of Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, on July 25, the repression became nationwide, leading to mass arrests and detentions of student protestors. Many police cases were filed against protestors in Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, and Delhi — all states ruled by the BJP. The CJP leadership accused the government of backtracking on its promise not to take action against protestors and warned that it would compel them to restart the protest.
The BJP’s modus operandi of labelling any dissent as ‘anti-national’ was followed religiously here too. Before resigning, Pradhan himself described the protestors as the B team of terrorists. The RSS leader Atul Limaye even termed the CJP protest as “anti-constitutional”. Citing B.R. Ambedkar’s “Grammar of Anarchy” formulation in his last speech in the Constituent Assembly, Limaye said, “Ambedkar had warned about the anarchists long ago. Now is the time to decode this, understand it, and take precautions against such anarchist forces, which are detrimental to the nation.” Such fabricated narratives act as ideological justifications for punitive measures against protestors. This echoes colonial rule’s attitude towards nationalists — a badge of honour the RSS could never claim. Hence, the BJP’s discomfort with protestors invoking Ambedkar and Gandhi is historically rooted. Unlike the BJP-RSS ideologues, Ambedkar and Gandhi saw resistance as a lighthouse guiding democracy’s ship to shore.
Amid this crackdown, it is worth revisiting what Gandhi and Ambedkar said about the legitimacy of protest in a democracy. This piece frames the government’s actions against students as an antithesis of Gandhi’s Swaraj and shows how the CJP protest reflected some elements of Gandhian Satyagraha. Briefly, it debunks the RSS’s appropriation of Ambedkar’s warning about “Grammar of Anarchy” through historical explanation.
The RSS leader Atul Limaye even termed the CJP protest as “anti-constitutional”. Citing B.R. Ambedkar’s “Grammar of Anarchy,” he said, “Ambedkar had warned about the anarchists long ago… such anarchist forces, which are detrimental to the nation.”