Cockroach Janta Party founder alleges threats to family, vows not to back down

Six days after launching the satirical platform Cockroach Janta Party, founder Abhijeet Dipke has claimed that he and his family are facing sustained threats, saying no family should be targeted simply because someone chose to express a political opinion.

Dipke, 30, said he fears for his family in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district while he remains in Boston, where he moved two years ago to pursue a course in public relations.

“I do not want anything to happen to my family because this is a choice I made, not them,” Dipke was quoted as saying by Indian Express. He alleged that he has received repeated threats directed at both himself and his relatives in India. He claimed one recent video message showed a man outside his family home warning of consequences later in the day.

The Cockroach Janta Party was launched after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s May 15 remarks about individuals who “attack the system,” including a controversial reference to “youngsters like cockroaches” allegedly infiltrating professions and attacking institutions.

The comments triggered widespread backlash, prompting the Chief Justice to later clarify that his remarks were aimed not at India’s youth but at people entering professions with “fake and bogus degrees,” whom he described as “parasites.”

Dipke, who publicly criticized the remarks and positioned his platform as a symbolic space for the “cockroaches,” quickly gained traction online. On May 22, the party’s X account was withheld in India after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology reportedly acted on Intelligence Bureau inputs citing “national security concerns.”

Dipke said his activism should not come at the cost of his family’s safety.

“Nobody’s family should be hounded like this just for expressing their opinions,” he said.

Responding to questions about his stay in the United States, Dipke said his visa currently allows him to remain there until July, after which he will eventually have to return to India.

“I have no tension till July, but I will have to return sometime,” he said, acknowledging criticism from those questioning his activism while living abroad.

Dipke also admitted he had not anticipated the scale of the response.

“I had not made any plans at all because I never expected this to escalate at this level,” he said, adding that he is now speaking to “relevant people” to explore future options.

According to Dipke, growing support from Gen Z supporters has also increased pressure on him not to retreat.

“People are telling me, ‘don’t back off, you’ve started something now,’” he said.

Though the initiative began as satire, Dipke said it could evolve into a broader youth-led political pressure group.

“It may function as a political front or a pressure group for now. It’s too early to say what shape it will ultimately take,” he said.

Rejecting allegations that the movement is inflammatory, Dipke said attempts were being made to compare it with political uprisings in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

“We are a democratic and peaceful group. Any dissent we express will remain within the framework of the Constitution,” he said, adding that India’s Gen Z should not be viewed through the lens of foreign political unrest.

Before moving to the US, Dipke worked as a volunteer with the Aam Aadmi Party and was associated with former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s office, handling communications during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Party insiders described him as a committed grassroots activist known for his work on caste issues and social media campaigning.