Hyderabad: Parody political party Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has crossed 22 million followers on Meta-owned social media platform Instagram. CJP, the brainchild of Abhijeet Dipke, has already surpassed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in terms of follower count.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs Mahua Moitra and Kirti Azad publicly interacted with CJP and expressed interest in joining the movement, helping it gain further traction. On X, CJP had more than 200,000 followers before the account became inaccessible in India following a legal demand.

On May 23, the website, Dipke took to X to announce that the CJP website was taken down, he accused the government of closing down the website and called it 'dictatorial behaviour'.

He also added that 10 Lakh people had signed up on their website as members and 6 Lakhs had signed a petition to demand the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.

He wrote, "Why is the government so scared of cockroaches? But this dictatorial behaviour is opening the eyes of India's youth. Our only crime is we were demanding a better future for ourselves. But you can't get rid of us that easily. We’re working on a new home right now."

According to reports, 30-year-old Abhijeet Dipke pursued his undergraduate studies in journalism in Pune and is a native of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra. Dipke is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public relations at Boston University.

Reports also state that he was associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) between 2020 and 2023, during which he volunteered with the party’s social media team.

Some have suggested that the movement is a passing internet trend fueled by temporary frustration that may eventually fade away. Others have criticised it as carefully packaged, algorithm-driven outrage that relies on meme politics rather than substantive policy solutions.

CJP and Dipke have also faced criticism for allegedly failing to address India's systemic caste issues, with critics arguing that the movement primarily appeals to an urban, upper-caste liberal demographic.

When questioned about CJP’s stand on Dalit issues by an X user, Dipke replied: “I am a Dalit myself. I hope that will answer all your questions.”

Following this, Dipke received casteist comments. One X user wrote, “Aa gya D card” (Here comes the Dalit card), while another posted, “So? You want to become PM with -40 votes?”

From satire to something bigger

In an interview with The Print, Dipke said that young people are tired of “outdated” political parties. He added that he was receiving constant messages from young people urging him not to let CJP go to waste. Although CJP began as satire, it is now “becoming something bigger”.

On May 22, the CJP website hosted a petition demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a day before the take down of the website.

Speaking in a video shared on Instagram, Dipke urged people to sign the petition, saying:

“Everyone is telling me that I am making waves on the internet, but now the time has come to undertake the real work—the very purpose for which we started this initiative. The moment has arrived to hold this system accountable. It was a systemic failure that jeopardised the futures of over 2.2 million students and, tragically, drove NEET aspirants to take their own lives.”

The text displayed on the screen stated:

“The education system is compromised. From the tragic loss of students who died by suicide to the millions of futures broken by a decade of paper leaks, this failure cannot go ignored. There must be consequences.”

It further urged people to sign a petition demanding the immediate removal of the Education Minister.

Where did the ‘Cockroach’ in CJP come from?

The meme-driven satirical party emerged and gained significant traction online after controversial remarks attributed to Chief Justice Surya Kant triggered widespread backlash.

Chief Justice Kant had compared some unemployed youth to “cockroaches” and “parasites”.

On May 15, Chief Justice Kant made these remarks while pulling up a lawyer over a plea seeking senior designation.

During the hearing, he said:

“There are youngsters like cockroaches who don't get any employment or have any place in profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, RTI activists and other activists, and they start attacking everyone.”

Chief Justice Kant later clarified that he had been misquoted. He stated that his remarks were directed specifically at individuals entering the legal profession through “fake and bogus degrees”.

“I am pained to read how a section of the media has misquoted my oral observations made during the hearing of a frivolous case yesterday,” he said.

As the remarks sparked controversy on social media, Dipke posted on X urging people to claim their identity as “cockroaches”. Soon, the parody party evolved into an online movement, with lakhs of people registering on the CJP website.

What does CJP stand for?

On its website, the party describes itself as the voice of the lazy and unemployed.

“A political party for the people the system forgot to count,” reads the website.

The website lists four eligibility criteria:

• Unemployed

• Lazy

• Chronically online with a minimum screen time of 11 hours

• Ability to rant

The manifesto contains only five points.

The first states that if CJP comes to power, no Chief Justice will be granted a Rajya Sabha seat as a post-retirement reward.

The second states:

“If any legit vote is deleted, whether in a CJP or opposition-ruled state, the CEC shall be arrested under UAPA, as taking away voting rights of citizens is no less than terrorism.”

The third point proposes 50 per cent reservation for women without increasing the strength of Parliament, while reserving half of all Cabinet positions for women.

The fourth point states:

“All media houses owned by Ambani and Adani shall have their licences cancelled to make way for truly independent media. Bank accounts of Godi media anchors shall be investigated.”

The final point of the manifesto states that any MLA or MP who defects from one political party to another should be barred from contesting elections and from holding any public office for a period of 20 years.