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Mamata Banerjee, after Bengal loss, extends support to Cockroach Janta Party
The Cockroach Janta Party, founded by Boston-based Abhijeet Dipke, gained traction on social media after its launch last week.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee have expressed support for the satirical digital collective Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien said on Monday.
In a post on X, O'Brien said both leaders remained focused on “fighting the good fight” amid a series of internal review meetings following the TMC’s defeat in the West Bengal polls.
“Purposive meetings all week with @mamataofficial and @abhishekaitc. Both focused on fighting the good fight. Steely resolve,” O’Brien wrote, adding, “Oh and they both expressed their fondness and full support for Cockroaches.”
From satire page to online movement
The Cockroach Janta Party, founded by Boston-based Abhijeet Dipke, gained traction on social media after its launch on May 16. The movement emerged following controversy over remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, which were widely interpreted online as comparing unemployed youths to “cockroaches”.
The group adopted the “cockroach” symbol as a form of digital protest and quickly built a strong online following through satire and meme-driven mobilisation. According to the organisation’s website — which was later taken down by authorities — membership required applicants to be “unemployed, lazy, chronically online” and capable of “ranting professionally”.
Crackdown claims and growing support
The CJP has recently campaigned against alleged failures in the education sector, including the purported NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, and demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Dipke on Saturday alleged that several of the movement’s social media accounts had become inaccessible as part of a crackdown. He also claimed that the group’s backup account was briefly suspended and that his personal Instagram account had been hacked.
The outfit’s original X handle was withheld in India on May 21. It later resurfaced with a new account, “Cockroach is Back”, which has amassed over 2.27 lakh followers.
