NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) Wednesday alleged that a banquet hall in Naraina cancelled its booking for a meeting of volunteers due to alleged “political pressure”, forcing the group to hold the meeting at a nearby park, where it faced disruption from locals.“When we reached the venue Wednesday, the owner said they could not let us hold the meeting as there was pressure from local BJP and RSS functionaries… In the past few days, we have been denied bookings by at least 10 places, citing similar pressure,” CJP spokesperson Saurav Das told TOI.Das alleged four-five people tried to disrupt the park meeting. “Some of them had earlier tried to create a ruckus outside (CJP founder) Abhijeet Dipke’s house. Police did not remove the locals,” he alleged.Videos on social media showed heated exchanges between locals and CJP volunteers.Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said BJP govt had allowed CJP to protest at Jantar Mantar and, therefore, there was no reason for the party to pressure a private banquet hall to deny permission.A police officer said locals showed concern over the meeting being held at the park, but police ensured the situation remained peaceful. TOI didn’t get any response from the banquet.
