‘They Certainly Have Political Ambitions’: Sonam Wangchuk On Cockroach Janta Party

Podcaster Prakhar Gupta recently spoke to Environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, with the two discussing the Cockroach Janta Party and its convenor Abhijeet Dipke. Wangchuk said he believed the group had political ambitions, although they had not told him this directly. He said this was his own assessment. Wangchuk also said there was nothing wrong with having political ambitions, but stressed that the movement should retain its neutral and apolitical character.

Wangchuk said he had assessed the group closely and believed they “certainly have political ambitions”. He added that he did not see them as people who wanted nothing from their efforts.

“There is nothing wrong with that,” Wangchuk said, while making clear that the view was his own assessment and not something the group had told him.

Wangchuk said he had repeatedly told the group that political ambitions could be a positive thing, especially when it came to young and emerging leaders. However, he urged them to protect the platform's neutrality.

He said they should keep it “neutral, apolitical and a pressure group”, arguing that this would allow them to achieve more.

Wangchuk also told Dipke and the other students that people viewed them as a student movement, rather than as members of any political party.

Vinita Bhat is a Chief Copy Editor at ABP Live English, with experience in TV and digital journalism. She covers geopolitics, international conflicts, global current affairs and Kashmir.

For tips and queries, write to vinitab@abpnetwork.com.