Cockroach Janata Party admits 2 TMC MPs within days
The cockroach janata party said it admitted two Trinamool Congress MPs within days of launching, turning a small online debut into a rapid test of whether the new outfit could draw sitting politicians. Founded by Abhijeet Dipke, the party said it had already claimed 40,000 members in just over two days.
Abhijeet Dipke and the launch
Dipke founded the party and attached it to the motto “Secular, Socialist, Democratic, Lazy.” The group also described itself online as “A political front of the youth, by the youth, for the youth,” a pitch that puts its message squarely at younger users who move fast on social media and can amplify a new brand before it develops a formal structure.
Dipke had earlier worked with the Aam Aadmi Party and handled social media campaigning for it in the 2020 Delhi Assembly polls. He later said, “Being the founder of Cockroach Janta Party, I condemn this clarification.”
Moitra and Azad replies
The party’s first burst of attention came after Mahua Moitra said she would like to join the party “besides being a card-carrying member of the Anti-National Party,” and after Kirti Azad said he would like to join the CJP and asked for the “qualifications required”. The party replied to Moitra on X: “You are the fighter democracy needs, Mahua Moitra. Welcome to the CJP,” and welcomed Azad with, “Winning the 1983 World Cup is a good enough qualification.”
The exchanges matter because they show the party trying to turn online reaction into recruitment almost as soon as it launched. The CJP said it believed in the Constitution of India and would always work toward protecting its values, while also saying it was against “NEET exam fraud” in another post.
CJP’s online drive
Within days of its debut, the party said it was planning to host its first virtual GenZ Convention and invited young people to help organize and coordinate it. In the same post, it said, “We are inviting young people to help us organise and coordinate this online convention. If you are GenZ and would like to be a part of it, please DM us,” setting a low-barrier entry point for supporters who may never meet the founders in person.
The group also said its eligibility criteria include being “unemployed”, “lazy”, “chronically online” and having the “ability to rant professionally”. It said its mobile phone would be its poll symbol and posted: “Every phone now carries a voice of courage... Every social media post is a sign of resistance... The revolution starts from your screens...”
The party name appears to be a satirical reference to remarks allegedly made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant comparing jobless youths entering fields such as journalism, law or RTI activism to “cockroaches” and “parasites.” Those remarks reportedly triggered backlash online, and the CJI later issued a clarification saying he was misquoted. The CJP said it wanted to be a movement for people “frustrated with the regime,” giving the party’s quick growth a sharper political edge as it pushed for attention beyond its first two MPs.
