Maharashtra: Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, after securing the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak issue, has embarked on a new mission under his "School Theek Karo" (Fix The Schools) campaign.
As part of the initiative, Dipke visited a Zilla Parishad school in the Ausa area of Latur district. During the inspection, he alleged that students from other schools were brought in to sit in the classrooms and that they were not registered in the school records. He also claimed that liquor bottles were found on the premises.
Speaking to news agency PTI, Dipke stated that the school, located over 500 km from Mumbai, lacked basic drinking water facilities and pointed out that its toilets had been cleaned shortly before his arrival.
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Abhijeet Dipke Shares Video On Social Media
In a video of the 'inspection' shared on his X handle, Dipke is seen interacting with students when they inform him that they do not belong to the school. Dipke is seen holding his head in surprise before confronting a teacher.
He further claimed that fresh mid-day meal plates were brought in only after news of his visit. Dipke added that while the campus had been cleaned a day before his visit, photographs taken at the scene suggested illegal activities were taking place within the compound where the liquor bottles were found.
School Authorities Reject Dipke's Claims
School authorities, however, rejected claims made by Dipke. Principal Balaji Gawali clarified that two separate schools, one Marathi-medium and one Urdu-medium, operate from the same building, refuting the claim that students were brought in from outside. Gawali maintained that all children present were registered students of the institution.
Addressing the claims regarding the mid-day meals, Gawali denied that new plates were procured merely for show, stating that the children were using older plates provided to the school.
He added that Dipke was under the mistaken impression that these arrangements were staged specifically for his visit.
CJP Demands Maharashtra Education Minister's Resignation
The CJP founder remarked that the students in these schools lived in conditions "worse than animals", stating, "Even a minister's dog gets better facilities than the students! If the government hasn't been able to fix leaking roofs or address the shortage of benches in ten years, what exactly have they achieved?"
Dipke has demanded the resignation of the state's School Education Minister, Dada Bhuse. He also demanded that the block education officers responsible for the poor condition of schools in the area, who remained unavailable citing official tours, be suspended within eight days.
(With Inputs From PTI)