Who is Abhijeet Dipke? Inside the viral Cockroach Janta Party movement

On May 16, 30-year-old Abhijeet Dipke posted a Google form on X inviting people to register for the “Cockroach Janta Party” — a satirical political outfit born a day after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant drew criticism over his “cockroach” remark.

Though Chief Justice Kant later clarified that his oral observation was directed at those using fake degrees to enter professions such as law and media, and not at unemployed youth, the remark had already struck a nerve online. Within hours, Abhijeet received over 5,000 registrations, transforming an Internet joke into an unofficial organisation channelling public discontent, humour, and political frustration.

“The Cockroach Janta Party expresses the dissent of young people against the statement made by the Hon’ble CJI, where he labelled the youth as cockroaches and parasites. It was unacceptable in a democracy like India, where the CJI of the Supreme Court, who is supposed to be the custodian of the Constitution and free speech, demeaned young people for their criticism,” says Abhijeet, who is in the U.S., completing his master’s degree in public relations at Boston University.

He had previously volunteered with the social media team of the Aam Aadmi Party from 2020 to 2023.

“The name ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ shows that we own the identity of the cockroach — if that is what it takes for young people to be heard. It also seeks to send a message that cockroaches exist only in filth and rot. This means the country’s system has become so rotten that the cockroaches now have to emerge,” he says.

A quick glance at the Cockroach Janta Party’s website gives an overview of its mission and vision. “We are not here to set up another PM CARES, holiday in Davos on the taxpayer’s salary slip, or rebrand corruption as ‘strategic spending’. We are here to ask — loudly, repeatedly, in writing — where the money went,” its website reads. With its tagline as “Voice of the lazy and unemployed”, the Cockroach Janta Party claims to represent the people that “the system forgot to count”. With zero sponsors and five demands, it identifies as “one large, stubborn swarm”.

With its tagline as “Voice of the lazy and unemployed”, the Cockroach Janta Party claims to represent the people that “the system forgot to count”. 
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Special arrangement

As on May 18, Abhijit claims this “swarm” has grown into a collective of over 50,000 people who have met the four-point eligibility criteria — unemployed, lazy, chronically online, and can rant professionally — to become members of the Cockroach Janta Party. “It took me and my other two friends hardly two–three hours to do this since the design of the website was done through AI by people from my close circle. The vision is still evolving. Ideologically, we are a secular, socialist, democratic, and anti-caste organisation. Our ideology is inspired by Gandhi, Ambedkar, and Nehru,” says Abhijeet.

The party’s five-point manifesto puts the spotlight on the institutions of democracy. 
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The party’s five-point manifesto puts the spotlight on the institutions of democracy. Apart from 50% reservation of all Cabinet positions for women, its manifesto includes a 20-year ban on MLAs and MPs who defect from one party to another, investigating the bank accounts of “godi media” anchors, arresting the CEC under the UAPA if any legit vote is deleted, and barring post-retirement Rajya Sabha appointments for any Chief Justice.

The Cockroach Janta Party introduces India to a long tradition of countercultural political movements that have used satire, absurdity, and performance to critique mainstream politics. In the United States, the trend emerged in the 1960s through the Freak Power movement led by Hunter S. Thompson and the Youth International Party, or Yippies, founded by activists Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. The United Kingdom witnessed a similar strain of political satire in the 1980s with the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, which mocked establishment politics through deliberately absurd manifestoes. Around the same time, communist Poland saw the rise of Orange Alternative, a movement that used humour and surreal public performances to undermine state authority. In the early 2000s, Sweden witnessed the emergence of the Pirate Party, which channelled Internet culture and anti-establishment sentiment into a campaign for digital rights, privacy and civil liberties.

The Cockroach Janta Party introduces India to a long tradition of countercultural political movements that have used satire, absurdity, and performance to critique mainstream politics.
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Abhijeet says, “I think the outrage stemmed from the frustration that has been brewing over the last few years among the masses. The credibility of all institutions is under a big question mark.” To him Chief Justice Kant’s clarification comes across as “shallow”. He asks: “Does the CJI want to say that somebody who is not educated or does not have a degree is not allowed to criticise the system? Isn’t this against the spirit of the Constitution, which the CJI is sworn to protect? If the judiciary starts calling out critics, social activists, and political activists for their opinions in a way that mirrors the narrative of the ruling party, then it only solidifies the doubts people already have about the integrity of the institution.”

Abhijeet hopes that this movement will tap into the concerns, needs, and hopes of the young population of India. “We are asking the nation to confront the reality that today’s youth is losing hope in the system because it is no longer serving them, listening to them, or even seeing them. And the longer the system ignores this, the bigger the frustration will grow,” he says.

To him, the cockroach is a symbol of resilience. But beyond the satire and absurdity, the Cockroach Janta Party also reflects something deeper — a symptom of growing frustration with the democratic functioning of the country’s vital institutions. “And we are proud to be the cockroaches,” he signs off.

Ammu Joseph, Media Expert. File
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The Hindu

“It has been heartening to see the quick and justifiably fierce public reaction to the shocking and totally unacceptable words recently used by the Chief Justice of India to describe young Indians.
Too many respectable and credible news outlets had reported his oral remarks — addressed to an advocate in open court — for his claims about being misquoted to be convincing.
The CJI’s comments were reminiscent of similar words used to insult New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani a few months ago. But in that case it was a conservative radio host who made the offensive remark and the backlash forced him to promptly apologise and delete the tweet.
The speed and clarity with which the Cockroach Janta Party has come into being — with its own website, anthem, manifesto, et al — has been breath-taking. I will definitely be watching that space!”Ammu JosephIndian journalist, author and media commentator

Published – May 18, 2026 09:17 pm IST