The online buzz surrounding the 'Cockroach Janta Party' has reached a fever pitch over the last few days. Within just a week, it has notched up 10 million followers on Instagram - a figure far ahead of any mainstream political party's follower count on the photo sharing app.
The significance of this campaign - launched as a satirical response to a remark made by the Chief Justice Surya Kant can be gauged by the fact that the party has become a topic of conversation even within political circles.
At the same time, some social media users are claiming that while the follower count of the Cockroach Janata Party is indeed surging on Instagram, it is not seeing a proportional increase on X.
The massive influx of followers has triggered scrutiny, with many pointing to potential bot activity from abroad.
The founder-president of this website, which is barely four or five days old, is Abhijeet Dipke, a political communications strategist and student at Boston University.
A native of Maharashtra, Abhijeet worked with the Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP, and the Arvind Kejriwal government for several years.
The controversy originally stemmed from an incident on last Friday, May 15, when Chief Justice Surya Kant, while presiding over the hearing of a case, reprimanded a petitioner and made the now-infamous "cockroach" remark.
Initial reports suggested that he had likened unemployed youth to cockroaches. However, the very next day, the Chief Justice issued a clarification stating that his remark was directed specifically at individuals holding fake degrees, and by no means at the youth of the country.
Expressing regret over the media reports, the Chief Justice affirmed that he not only takes immense pride in the nation's youth but also draws inspiration from them.
However, a widespread "discussion on cockroaches" had already begun across all quarters.
On May 16, Abhijeet Dipke, posting from Boston, shared an image of the 'Cockroach Janata Party', along with a link to a Google Form on X.
His accompanying message read: "I am creating a new platform for all the 'cockroaches' out there; those who wish to join, please click on the link." Thousands of people filled out Google Forms.
On X and Instagram, users began expressing their support for the 'Cockroach Janata Party'.
Some Trinamool MPs even identified themselves as members of the 'Cockroach Janata Party'. On Wednesday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav posted on X: "BJP vs CJP."
Within just a week, this experiment had captured the attention of the masses.
In an interview, Abhijit said the idea came as a joke.
Following the public's reaction, it can no longer be taken lightly; it holds real potential, he said.
In another interview, Abhijit said, "It is unfair to compare us with the Gen Z population of Nepal or Bangladesh. Do not insult the youth of this country. We believe in the Constitution, and our campaign is dedicated to safeguarding democracy. I am receiving messages from young members of Gen Z telling me, 'We have started a revolution; do not back down now.' I will not hesitate to do whatever is necessary to keep this hope alive."
Dipke claims that more than 100,000 people have already registered with the Cockroach Janata Party.
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