‘School Thik Karo’: Abhijeet Dipke Says Broken Windows in Maharashtra Govt School Covered With Eknath Shinde Banners (Videos)

Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday, August 15, launched the “School Thik Karo” campaign from his native village Santuk Pimpri in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district, alleging that poor students were suffering because of the government’s neglect of state-run schools. During his first school inspection, Dipke alleged that toilets had no water supply, windows were broken and there were too few benches for students. He also demanded a cap on private school fees and said his outfit would launch a similar movement over poor conditions at public hospitals.

Dipke travelled to Santuk Pimpri and attended a flag-hoisting ceremony on Independence Day before visiting a Zilla Parishad school to inspect its basic facilities. The campaign, which was announced earlier this week, aims to collect information on infrastructure and basic amenities at government schools through a checklist and social-audit exercise. Abhijeet Dipke Launches 'School Thik Karo' Campaign for Rural Schools; Here's Why.

Abhijeet Dipke Says Broken Windows in Maharashtra Govt School Covered With Eknath Shinde Banners

Broken windows in govt school being covered with the banners of Dy CM of Maharashtra. #SchoolThikKaro pic.twitter.com/XgXIcvbbnC

— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) August 15, 2026

How is any kid supposed to use this toilet? #SchoolThikKaro pic.twitter.com/WNkDAFn5sn

— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) August 15, 2026

Even after 80 years of Independence, our govt schools still lack basic amenities.

I spoke to the Sarpanch of my village, who has assured that the Panchayat will resolve all these issues within a week.

Change is possible when we come together and act.#SchoolThikKaro pic.twitter.com/HB4cWKj4D8

— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) August 15, 2026

Abhijeet Dipke Questions Lack of Basic Facilities

During his visit, Dipke alleged that the school lacked adequate water facilities and had broken windows and insufficient benches. He questioned how students could be expected to receive equal opportunities when basic infrastructure was missing from government-run schools.

“If basic things like water are missing from government-run schools even 80 years after India became independent, how is the country going to develop?” Dipke told reporters. He later repeated the point, asking, “If water is not available at schools, will students go to their homes to use toilets?”

Dipke said his outfit had prepared a form with a checklist to record whether schools had basic amenities. “We have a form comprising a checklist where it can be mentioned whether there are basic amenities available in the school or not. We will gather the data from schools located in Maharashtra and nationwide. Then we will compile the data,” he said.

He added that in the next phase of the “School Thik Karo” campaign, he would visit government-run schools in other talukas of Maharashtra to check facilities.

Allegation Over Broken Windows and Banners

During the inspection, Dipke claimed the washroom had apparently been cleaned just before his arrival. He also alleged that broken windows at the school had been covered with banners of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

“This is a satire on the system of our country. There are no benches in the school. There are only four benches while the number of students is more. If there are benches in private schools, why not in government schools?” he said.

The allegation regarding the banners was made by Dipke during his inspection and has not been independently established in the material reviewed for this report.

Dipke said the government had failed to provide facilities in schools and that students were not getting equal opportunity. “There should be freedom of equal opportunities. Until equal opportunity is available, we cannot say that our country is developing. The students are making videos saying they don't have good roads to reach their schools. This shows the government has failed to provide facilities at state-run schools,” he said.

He alleged that the Centre's education budget had been reduced and claimed that state-run schools were being shut to benefit private institutions. “We have seen that over 94,000 state-run schools have been shut down in the past ten years in India. How can a nation be strengthened by shutting down schools when more schools need to be opened?” he asked.

He also said, “If children achieve big after studying in government schools, who will go to private schools?”

The campaign comes amid Dipke’s broader criticism of political parties over the condition of government education infrastructure. He has argued that the issue should be taken up beyond political lines and that communities should monitor the availability of basic facilities in schools.

Private School Fees Also Targeted

Dipke also demanded a cap on private school fees, arguing that high fees place education beyond the reach of poorer families. “People are paying INR 1-1.5 lakh in fees. How will poor children get education? Therefore, fees of private schools should be capped,” he said.

The demand forms another part of his campaign’s focus on access to education, with Dipke arguing that government schools must provide adequate alternatives for families unable to afford private education.

Public Hospitals Next on Campaign Agenda

Dipke said the Cockroach Janta Party would also take up issues concerning public healthcare. “We are going to raise health-related issues. When we visit public hospitals, we see people (patients) sleeping on the floor. People have to wait for surgeries. For a CT scan, the wait extends to one week,” he alleged.

He said the group intended to expand its focus from education to other public services where it believes citizens are facing inadequate infrastructure and services.

Dipke also said political discourse would not be shaped only by cities and called for greater participation by young people from rural areas. “People should come forward and ask the government about utilisation of funds. We will see that youth from rural areas will come forward. Politics in the country will not be decided by the people in cities, but young people from rural areas will also participate in it,” Dipke added.

Earlier in the day, before leaving for his village, he had said in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar that political parties had failed to improve the infrastructure and quality of government schools.

“People have now understood that they should talk about education, which is the need of the hour. No matter which political party ruled, nobody worked for government schools in states. Now there is a need, and we can make them work by asking questions,” he told reporters.

He also questioned the source of funding for large banners put up in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar during a Tiranga rally held in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday.

Dipke had announced the nationwide campaign on Monday and urged parents to conduct social audits of basic facilities in schools and sarpanches to work towards improving them.

“We have made a new Parliament, a new PM house. Why have we not been able to build new schools in our villages? Do we not consider the children of farmers and labourers the future of our country?” he had asked.

He had also highlighted the difficulties faced by children in villages, including long journeys to school and the absence of basic facilities such as drinking water and toilets.

The first inspection in Hingoli is intended to form part of the wider data-gathering exercise. Dipke’s group says it will use its checklist to document conditions at schools in Maharashtra and eventually across the country.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 15, 2026 04:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).