‘Just getting started’: Cockroach Janta Party outlines what next after massive response, calls for suggestions

THe roach Janta company (CJP), a satiric getup launched on societal media by political communication strategist Abhijeet Dipke, said on Sunday that it aims to build an independent, youth-driven movement focused on holding the government accountable and amplifying youth voices.The outfit, born as a response to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant’s “cockroach” remarks describing some of the youth of the country, has slowly become an outlet of frustration for young people after amassing 22.8 million followers on Instagram.However, after its formation, the question looming over the satirical outfit is what's next? Will it turn out to be yet another meme page among thousands of others, or will it become something tangible, politically speaking? The answer has come from the Cockroach Janta Party social media page itself.What next for the Cockroach Janta Party?According to a post on the CJP Instagram page, the outfit acknowledged that while it began as a satirical voice, it quickly “resonated with crores of young Indians frustrated with systemic issues like paper leaks, unemployment, and a lack of accountability in the system.”“Cockroaches are the ultimate survivors, thriving in the dark crevices and outlasting every attempt to shut them down. That’s what being young in this country often feels like - mistreated, neglected and overlooked, but never giving up on life,” the post read. CJP said that the unprecedented rise of this movement has clearly established one thing: “India’s youth have been waiting to make their voices heard.” The post also attacked the government over the takedown of its X handle, the “incessant attempts by some to hack” all its socials, and the “smear campaigns”, calling them “unfortunate, but not entirely shocking”.“As the movement continues to grow exponentially with each passing day, there is growing public curiosity around the direction it will take in the days ahead. We want to make it clear - we want to build an independent, youth-driven movement focused on amplifying the concerns of young people and holding the government accountable. Our values align with the Constitution of India. Taking inspiration from our nation's founders - Gandhi, Ambedkar, Nehru, Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, we believe in secularism, democracy and social justice,” the post clarified about the outfit’s ideology.“Our core belief is simple: the younger generation deserves better on education, employment, environmental issues, and institutional transparency. We will raise these issues constructively without descending into partisan politics. We are listening to every single one of you. Over the next few days, we will collect suggestions from our 22 million+ community and turn the best ideas into focused campaigns. Following that, we want to work towards collective structured action,” it added about what their next course of action is.The post also called on its “supporters” to join the conversation, tagging the CJP as “your movement”.“Share your inputs, and help us build the society and country we want to live in. Together, we will ensure that young people are heard by the system, not ignored. Stay tuned – the cockroaches are just getting started,” it concluded.More trouble?While the Cockroach Janta Party continues to crawl its way up, a man identified as Raja Choudhary is not pleased. On Sunday, he filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a CBI investigation into the CJP. His argument is that oral courtroom remarks made by CJI Surya Kant are being used for commercial purposes.Chaudhary, whose details were not immediately known, flagged trademark applications filed for the expression ‘Cockroach Janta Party’, and said this amounted to judges’ observations being “appropriated for commercial exploitation, political branding, meme merchandising, trademark benefits, or monetised digital circulation”.Away from its own trysts and troubles, the CJP “movement” has now also spawned a secondary scam ecosystem — arguably a marker of genuine viral mass reach.The Punjab Police issued an advisory after phishing links posing as CJP membership invitations began circulating on WhatsApp.In a video on X, a Ludhiana Police officer warned that it's “not a joke”.“As soon as you click on this link, your phone will be hacked instantly, and all your banking details will be transferred to the scammers,” he said in the official video. He added that the scam messages use appeals targeted at young people, such as “The country's calling for a change in the system, the time has come.” The link with it, police in the AAP-ruled state cautioned, may not be genuine.Police outside CJP founder's Maharashtra homeMeanwhile, in Maharashtra, police were deployed around the clock outside the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar residence of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke's parents.Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Pankaj Atulkar told news agency PTI the deployment was precautionary."This is to ensure there is no crowding at his place since the CJP issue is trending on social media right now," he said, denying any formal threat complaint had been received.Dipke, speaking from the United States, has painted a graver picture. “I have been getting constant threats both for myself and my family, which is in India. I received a video in which a man is saying that they have reached outside my home,” he told multiple publications. His father Bhagwan told a Marathi news channel he had not slept in two nights. “I'm worried because Abhijeet is now famous. And such individuals get arrested,” he said. Mother Anita added, "We just want him to come home safely. I will not support him in this.”Dipke said his Instagram was hacked, X account withheld in India, and the CJP website taken down or restricted. The X handle was withheld "in response to a legal demand", the social media company said in its note. Now the ‘party’ has a backup account on Instagram, too.