The rapid rise of satirical social media platform Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has left the parents of founder Abhijeet Dipke worried about his safety and possible legal trouble, even as the outfit amasses millions of followers online within days of its launch.
Founded barely a week ago by Dipke, a Boston University student previously associated with the Aam Aadmi Party, CJP has already crossed 19 million followers on Instagram. The platform gained traction through political satire, memes and commentary focused on issues such as unemployment, education and examination paper leaks.
Dipke’s parents, Bhagwan and Anita Dipke, residents of Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, said they were anxious about their son’s growing popularity and did not want him involved in politics.
“If we look at politics nowadays, fear is natural, no matter how many followers he has. In one of his interviews, he himself expressed fear of being arrested after returning to India. We read about such incidents in newspapers,” said Bhagwan Dipke.
The satirical outfit emerged after a controversy surrounding Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s reported use of the words “parasites” and “cockroaches” while reprimanding a lawyer seeking senior designation. Although the CJI later clarified that he had been misquoted and that the remarks referred specifically to people entering the legal profession through “fake and bogus degrees”, the controversy fuelled the creation of CJP, which adopted the insect as its symbol.
Abhijeet’s mother Anita said she hoped her son would avoid politics and focus instead on building a career.
“We just want him to come home safely. Whether he continues in politics will be his decision, but we do not want him to pursue it. I do not know whether he will listen to us or not. I will not support him in this. I am worried about him,” she said.
She said Abhijeet studied initially in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar before moving to Pune for higher studies. According to her, he later shifted from engineering to mass media after finding engineering difficult.
Bhagwan Dipke said his son chose to study journalism abroad because his sister was already overseas. He added that he had hoped Abhijeet would eventually take up a regular job in Pune or Delhi.
The parents said they first came to know about CJP through a neighbour.
“Later, I was told by one of my grandchildren that he has more followers on social media than many prominent people in the country. Earlier, he had worked with AAP. Even then, I had told him that we were not into politics and that he should pursue a service,” said Anita.
Bhagwan said the platform’s sudden popularity has left him deeply worried.
“I’m worried because he is now famous. And such individuals get arrested. I have not slept for the past two nights worrying about what might happen to him. I hate politics and have no interest in it,” he added.