Abhijeet Dipke, head of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), who says he works mostly from his sister's couch, poses for a portrait at an undisclosed location in the U.S., May 29, 2026.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS
The Cockroach Janta Party will continue to use every constitutional means available to make people’s voices heard, including satire, and hopes to create a lasting “movement” out of the viral popularity of the online outfit, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said.In a video posted on Instagram and X on Sunday (May 31, 2026), the CJP founder said he would return to India on June 6 and stage a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Reiterating CJP’s demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Mr. Dipke said a petition hosted on the CJP website had received over eight lakh signatures.‘Youth frustrated’“Even though the CJP started as satire on May 16, in response to the Honourable Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s oral observations, the past 17 days have been a reminder of the growing frustrations against the unfair education system among India’s youth. The youth has responded strongly to the NEET paper leak controversy and the technical issues in the new OSM system used for marking Class 12 CBSE Board results,” he said.The CJP’s internet popularity has surpassed that of any political party in the country, with its Instagram account clocking a total of 22.3 million followers.Will be returning to India to demand the resignation of the Education Minister.I request the youth of India to join this peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar and exercise our constitutional right to seek accountability from the government. https://t.co/W8oZsGmgvi— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) June 1, 2026Speaking to The Hindu, he said that the CJP is now transitioning from a satirical political outfit into a “movement”. “CJP will remain a movement born out of satire and powered by the support of young people. We will continue to use every constitutional means available to make our voices heard, including satire. Our focus will remain on the most pressing issues facing the country today,” he added.‘Should not fade away’On his homecoming, he said, “I am announcing my arrival since many people were asking me when I am going to return to India and take this movement forward. It was my responsibility towards all CJP supporters who have seen a rare hope in this movement and don’t want it to fade away.”Mr. Dipke had earlier cited concerns about being “arrested and sent to Tihar (jail)” when he lands in India, and his worries have only grown with repeated attempts to allegedly suppress his voice by withholding his social media accounts. He said, “Yes, I can most probably be arrested and mentally I am prepared for all the consequences and attacks. I believe the Constitution of India will protect me.”CJP’s official X account has been withheld since May 21, said Mr. Dipke. Listing out a timeline, he added: “We had lost access to CJP’s Instagram handle for two days [on May 22 and 23]. The back-up account has been taken down since May 22. My personal Instagram [account] was locked for more than five days, between May 23 and May 28. CJP’s website was down for three-to-four days from May 23 to May 27.” He also claimed that the CJP’s volunteer registration form posted on May 29 was taken down by Instagram without any notice.In view of these allegations and after observing the government’s reaction to previous protests in the country, including the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act and farmers protests, the CJP founder said he would remain cautious. “I will be going to the Parliament Street police station to seek permission for the protest the day I land in Delhi and on the same day, after permission is granted, we will be holding a fully peaceful and democratic protest at Jantar Mantar. I am aware attempts will be made by the ruling party to defame the movement and even derail it. We will do everything we can within our constitutional rights to seek accountability from the government,” he said.Choice of protest siteAbout choosing Jantar Mantar as the protest’s site, Mr. Dipke shared, “For decades Jantar Mantar has been the symbol of public movements. For us, it is synonymous with our fundamental right to free speech. Just like all other movements at Jantar Mantar that have shaped India for the better, this too will do the same. I won’t be there alone, there will be thousands of youth who have been wronged by the system and who will lead this movement along with many other social activists and many democratic voices.”The proposed demonstration would mark the CJP’s first major on-ground mobilisation since the satirical outfit emerged online in May, testing whether its viral popularity can translate into sustained public participation. Published - June 01, 2026 09:39 pm IST
