New Delhi: Amid the massive transport restrictions imposed across the national capital ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan has raised eyebrows by openly questioning the sweeping administrative clampdown.
Addressing the unprecedented cancellation of trains and the preemptive closure of metro stations designed to thwart protesters from reaching Delhi, Paswan asserted that the determination of the younger generation cannot be contained by logistical blockades. “These are the youth of India—nothing can stop them. To those attempting to spread illusions… how many trains can anyone really stop? How much road can be blocked?” Paswan remarked during a recent interaction in Sonipat, Haryana.
His statement appeared to subtly question the heavy-handed approach of the authorities, who have cancelled multiple trains arriving at the New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations and ordered the closure of 57 Delhi Metro stations to prevent CJP activists from congregating. The protesters have been aggressively demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral discrepancies.
Interestingly, Paswan’s sympathetic tone towards the protesting youth’s right to movement comes just a day after he firmly advised opposition parties to seek constructive dialogue rather than resorting to disruptive street agitations. Speaking to journalists in Lucknow on Thursday, on the sidelines of a memorial event marking the death anniversary of his father, former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, he had cautioned political entities against merely creating a “ruckus.”
“Every party has the democratic right to protest peacefully. However, if political parties are genuinely worried about the electoral process, they should converse with the Election Commission and seek answers through dialogue instead of holding daily protests,” Paswan stated in Lucknow. He emphasised that the Election Commission is an independent constitutional body and that “solutions can only be found through discussion.”
Despite his reservations about the opposition’s political motives and their continuous agitations, the Union Minister’s latest remarks highlight a nuanced, youth-centric approach. By asking “who can stop the youth,” Paswan has reiterated his consistent stance that while law and order must be maintained, the voices of students and young citizens should not be forcefully suppressed through systemic transport blockades and barricades.