Career Abhijeet Dipke

Career Before CJP

From 2020 to 2023, Dipke worked as a volunteer with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) social media team. During the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, he produced meme-based content aimed at younger voters. He also served as a communications adviser to the Delhi government's education department. He left AAP's media team in 2023 before moving to the United States for postgraduate study, and is no longer associated with the party.

How the Cockroach Janta Party Was Born

On 15 May 2026, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant made remarks in which some unemployed youth and activists were compared to "cockroaches". He later clarified that he was referring to people with fake degrees.

On 16 May 2026, Dipke, then living in Boston, posted a short sarcastic reply on X: "What if all cockroaches come together?" The post went viral. With help from Delhi YouTuber Meghnad S. and a friend, a satirical website was built using AI tools, and the Cockroach Janta Party was born.

Key Features of CJP

• Slogan: "Voice of the Lazy & Unemployed"
• Self-description: "A political front of the youth, by the youth, for the youth", jokingly called "secular, socialist, democratic, and lazy"
• Name: A wordplay on the ruling BJP
• Registration: Not registered with the Election Commission of India
• Social media growth: About 15 million Instagram followers in its first week, later reported at over 22–25 million, more than the official accounts of India's major political parties

CJP's Five-Point Manifesto (May 2026)

1. No Chief Justice should get a Rajya Sabha seat after retirement.
2. Strict action against the Chief Election Commissioner if legitimate votes are deleted.
3. 50% reservation for women in Parliament and the Cabinet.
4. Action against "Godi media" and the cancellation of certain corporate media licences.
5. A 20-year ban from elections for MPs and MLAs who defect.

NEET Paper Leak Protests (June–July 2026)

The movement found its real cause in the NEET-UG paper leak, which affected about 2 million students and was linked to several student suicides.

• 6 June 2026: Dipke flew back from Boston to Delhi, carrying Dr. Ambedkar's autobiography.
• 20 June: An indefinite protest began at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.
• 28 June: Activist Sonam Wangchuk began a hunger strike in support, calling himself an "honorary cockroach".
• 7 July: The Delhi High Court ruled in Dipke's favour and ordered CJP's blocked X account to be restored.
• 18 July: Police removed Wangchuk from the protest site. Dipke and other organisers began their own indefinite hunger strike.
• 20 July: Dipke ended his hunger strike after an appeal from the father of a student who had died, and led the "Chalo Sansad" march to Parliament. Police used batons and tear gas; Delhi Police reported at least 178 people injured, and crowd estimates ranged from 10,000 to 50,000.
• 24 July: Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh held talks with CJP leaders. Wangchuk ended his 26-day fast.
• 25 July: Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned.

After the resignation, Dipke said: "This is the first wicket. We won't stop here. This is just the beginning."

CJP's Demands

• Resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan (met)
• ₹1 crore compensation for families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide
• Withdrawal of cases against protesting students
• Action against police officers over the 20 July clashes

Election Commission Protest ("Season 2")

In September 2026, CJP turned its attention to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. It demanded his resignation and a freeze on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, which critics say favours the BJP. CJP held "Jail Bharo Andolan" protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and Shivaji Park in Mumbai.

On 10 October 2026, Delhi Police detained Abhijeet Dipke and CJP co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka at Delhi airport, ahead of a planned protest at Jantar Mantar against the voter-list revision. Police had denied permission for the protest, citing short notice, earlier non-compliance and law-and-order concerns. Al Jazeera reported that hundreds of people were detained and that New Delhi was effectively under lockdown.

Funding Scrutiny

In May 2026, a public interest litigation in the Allahabad High Court sought an NIA and ED probe into alleged foreign funding of Dipke and the CJP. The court directed the petitioner to approach a court of competent jurisdiction. In August 2026, an RTI activist sought an inquiry into how Dipke's education was funded. Dipke replied that he had studied at Boston University on a scholarship and an education loan, and offered to make the documents public.

Support and Opposition

Supporters: Activists and public figures including Sonam Wangchuk, Anna Hazare, Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, Arundhati Roy, Prakash Raj and Naseeruddin Shah backed the movement. TMC leadership expressed support, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called it a good outlet for youth frustration, and opposition leaders including Sharad Pawar and Arvind Kejriwal visited the protest site.

Critics: BJP leaders called the protesters "anarchists". Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar claimed many CJP followers were from Pakistan; Dipke rejected the claim and shared data showing over 94% of the audience was Indian. RSS joint general secretary Atul Limaye called the protests "anti-national".

Controversies and Criticism

• Links to AAP: Critics pointed out that Dipke and several core members had earlier worked with AAP, and questioned the movement's political neutrality.
• Splinter group: In September 2026, former volunteer Manish Brahmbhatt started a breakaway faction called CJP(D).
• Legal challenges: Petitions seeking CBI and NIA/ED probes into CJP were dismissed by the Supreme Court and the Allahabad High Court.
• Threats: Dipke has said he received death threats, and has accused political interests of trying to "defame, demean and discredit" the movement.
• Durability: Analysts have asked whether the movement can last and build a clear ideology, with some comparing it to the 2011 anti-corruption movement.