The Indian People’s Cockroach Party (CJP), recently founded by a Boston University graduate in response to the labeling of young critics of the Indian government as “cockroaches” and “parasites,” is about to move from the internet to the streets. Its founder, communications strategist Abhidjit Dipke, announced on Monday that he will lead a march through the streets of New Delhi over the weekend, AFP reported on Monday.
- The Indian People’s Party of Cockroaches was created as a satirical reaction to the insults of young critics of the government.
- Founder Abhidjit Dipke plans to organize a march in New Delhi and lead a demonstration through the streets.
The new party was formed after India’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Surja Kant allegedly called young people critical of the government “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a hearing. Kant later stated that his words were taken out of context and applied to persons using false diplomas.
Establishment of the CJP
However, the judge’s claim has meanwhile taken on a life of its own on social networks and served as an impetus for the founding of a new party. Dipke described it as a “platform for all cockroaches” and said he had no intention of registering it as a political party.
The membership criteria were defined satirically and aimed at individuals who consider themselves lazy, unemployed, chronically online and eager to join the discussion. The party’s acronym CJP is a parody of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu-nationalist Indian People’s Party (BJP).
Growing support on Instagram
The CJP’s Instagram account has over 22 million followers, more than double the BJP’s 9.5 million followers. The CJP also surpasses the main opposition Indian National Congress in the number of supporters, which is followed by 13.9 million users on Instagram. However, the Indian government has since blocked CJP’s website domestically because it allegedly posed a threat to national security.
BJP politicians termed the CJP as an attempt to destabilize India or Prime Minister Modi’s government. Government representatives also talk about an influence operation from abroad, referring to Dipke’s stay in the United States.
Return and peaceful protest
Deepke recently announced that he is returning to India from the US. He called on his supporters to meet him at the New Delhi airport and then accompany him in obtaining a police permit for the demonstration.
“My friends and family are afraid that I will be arrested right at the airport and sent to prison,” he explained. “However, I still hope that our country is still a democracy and that they will allow us to protest peacefully,” added Dipke.
AFP added that critics have repeatedly accused Prime Minister Modi’s government of using state institutions to suppress people who disagree with its policies. The government denies these accusations.
Observers see the CJP as part of a regional trend in which young people in several South Asian countries, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, have increasingly played a central role in protest movements against their governments in recent years.
