Dipke says respect for Diljit Dosanjh remains despite disagreement
Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke expressed disappointment over the singer's stance on a student protest.
Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke said on Saturday that while he felt pained by Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh's choice to stay away from a student protest, his admiration for the artist has not changed. According to reports by Deccan Chronicle, The Tribune and Deccan Herald, Dipke's comments followed a concert held by Dosanjh at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on Friday.
During the performance, Dosanjh addressed his critics and revisited his previous 'I'm an artist, bro' remark. The singer mentioned his film Satluj, which is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, and noted that his team worked for years to bring the project to audiences. Dosanjh told the crowd he preferred to remain quiet and urged people not to teach Punjabis how to fight their battles.
Writing on Instagram, Dipke explained that his disappointment came from his expectation that artists would speak out on public issues. He noted that he felt hurt by a comment made in June during a protest, though he clarified he had nothing against the singer personally.
Dipke, who attended Dosanjh's Chicago concert in May, stated that a single misunderstanding would not diminish his respect for the singer. He concluded his message by asking Dosanjh to consider him a younger brother and end the matter.