Growing Popularity of Cockroach Janta Party Leaves Founder’s Family Worried

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Maharashtra): The rapid rise of the satirical digital campaign “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) on social media has left the parents of its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, worried that their son could face trouble or even arrest. The campaign was launched just a week ago by Abhijeet, a student at Boston University. Since then, the organisation has gained more than 19 million followers on Instagram. Dipke was earlier associated with Aam Aadmi Party. Speaking to a Marathi news channel on Thursday, Abhijeet’s parents, Bhagwan and Anita Dipke, residents of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, said they do not want their son to enter politics. According to Dipke, the idea behind the Cockroach Janta Party emerged after remarks made by Chief Justice Surya Kant. During a hearing, the Chief Justice had reportedly used terms such as “parasite” and “cockroach” while expressing displeasure with a lawyer seeking seniority status. The Chief Justice later clarified that his remarks had been misunderstood and were specifically directed at people entering the legal profession through “fake degrees.” Abhijeet had also stated in an earlier interview that he feared being arrested upon returning to India and claimed that he could be taken to Tihar Jail immediately after landing in Delhi. His father, Bhagwan Dipke, said that considering the current political climate, fear is natural regardless of how many supporters someone may have. He added that Abhijeet himself had publicly spoken about the possibility of arrest after returning to India. “We read about such incidents in newspapers,” Bhagwan said while expressing concern over his son’s growing popularity. Anita Dipke said she wants her son to stay away from politics and focus on finding a stable job instead. The family said Abhijeet completed his early education in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar before moving to Pune for higher studies. According to his parents, engineering proved difficult for him, after which he decided to pursue a career in the media field. Bhagwan and Anita Dipke said they first came to know about the Cockroach Janta Party through a neighbour. Bhagwan further said that the campaign’s growing influence on social media has increased his anxiety. “I am worried because he has now become famous, and such people often get arrested. I have not been able to sleep for the past two nights thinking about what might happen to him. I dislike politics and have no interest in it,” he said.