Why label Indian youth as Pakistani? Cockroach party reacts to minister's post

Abhijeet Dipke has countered Kiren Rijiju's suggestion that the Cockroach Janta Party drew support from Pakistan and George Soros-linked networks.

In Short

• Cockroach Janta Party emerged after outrage over Chief Justice's remarks
• Channelled youth anger over unemployment, exam pressure, paper leak
• Platform's social media handles, website taken down, citing 'security risk'

The founder of the Cockroach Janta Party has hit back at Union Minister Kiren Rijiju after the latter suggested that the platform was drawing social media support from Pakistan and networks linked to billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

Responding to Rijiju's remarks on X, Abhijeet Dipke shared what he described as a screen recording of the platform's audience demographics, claiming that over 94 per cent of its followers were from India.

"This is the screen recording of our audience demographic which we have shared with media before our account was hacked. More than 94% of the audience is from India. Why is a Union Minister @KirenRijiju labelling Indian youth as Pakistani?" Dipke wrote on X.

The response came after Rijiju posted a sharp attack on the platform without naming it directly.

"I pity those who seek their followers in social media from Pakistan & George Soros gang. India has enough population and highly energetic youth population who could be genuine and valuable followers! No need to seek validation from the anti India gang," the Union Minister said.

The online exchange came amid a growing political controversy surrounding the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical digital movement that rapidly gained traction on social media over the past week.

The outfit first emerged after remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a court hearing on the issue of 'senior' designation for a lawyer sparked outrage online. Comments referring to 'cockroaches' and 'parasites' were widely circulated on social media, though the CJI later clarified that his observations were aimed at individuals allegedly entering the legal profession using "fake and bogus degrees" and had been misquoted.

Capitalising on the online debate, the Cockroach Janta Party positioned itself as a youth-driven protest platform targetting issues such as unemployment, examination pressure and alleged irregularities in recruitment and entrance tests.

The movement saw a major spike in popularity during nationwide anger over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy, which triggered protests among medical aspirants across the country. The platform projected itself as a voice for students frustrated with competitive examinations and the functioning of the education system.

Within days of its launch, the Cockroach Janta Party overtook both the BJP and the Indian National Congress in Instagram followers, becoming one of the most-followed political pages on the platform.

Dipke has also alleged a wider crackdown on the outfit. He claimed that the CJP's Instagram page, his personal Instagram account and the organisation's X handle had either been hacked or withheld. He said the group no longer had access to its official platforms and warned supporters against treating any subsequent posts as official communication.

According to Dipke, the platform's website was also taken down and he had received death threats after launching a campaign demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak.

"Action should have been taken against the education minister for the paper leak. For the student who lost his life due to the government's failure. But in New India, action is being taken against the Cockroach Janta Party for demanding accountability," Dipke said in another post.

He claimed that before the website went offline, nearly 10 lakh users had registered with the platform and around six lakh supporters had signed an online petition seeking Pradhan's resignation.

Despite the alleged takedowns, a backup X account titled "Cockroach is Back" claimed that the movement continued to grow online.

Dipke, who founded the platform, is a Boston-based former social media campaign worker who was associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) during the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections.

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