The satirical online movement, Cockroach Janata Party, started after an off-the-cuff remark by the Chief Justice of High Court Surya Kant and has quickly become a talk of the town, attracting public attention and support from various opposition leaders. Within days of its launch, the parody outfit has gained in popularity, led by founder Abhijeet Dipke. It reportedly had a larger following on Instagram than the Bharatiya Janata Party, attracting a massive following on the social media platform, which led to political debate on various platforms.
The movement “shows a sense of public frustration, a sense of public satire, in relation to the perception of the ordinary citizen,” Dipke said in a recent interview. Abhijeet said that the idea for the campaign came to him when he learned about his identity in this country, “We are seen like cockroaches”.
Even the popularity of the sudden success online did not resolve the real issues being raised by the satire, Dipke said. He also voiced the apprehensions of legal action against him, following the apparently banned X account of the Cockroach Janata Party in India. In posting a picture of the restricted page online, Dipke said that was what he knew happens.
The founder also claimed he is afraid of arrest when he will go back to India. He said that he believes that he will be detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport once he lands and be sent to Tihar Jail.
This satirical outfit has sparked a lot of comments on social media, with many hailing it as a form of political dissent, and others dismissing it as a social media attention grabber.