‘Fear natural in today’s politics, want him to stay away’: Abhijeet Dipke’s parents as CJP explodes on internet

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhishek Dipke's parents fear that their son could land in trouble or even face arrest after his satirical campaign became a rage on the internet, news agency PTI reported. The Cockroach Janta Party has garnered over 20 million followers on Instagram since it was founded barely a week ago by Boston University's e student Dipke, once associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The massive following on Instagram is way more than what India's mainstream political parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress party have on the Meta-owned social media site. The 30-year-old Public Relation graduate's parents Bhagwan and Anita Dipke, who live in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, told a Marathi news channel on Thursday that they were not keen on letting their son enter politics. They said they have lost their sleep after learning about Abhijeet's move. Dipke, who moved to the US for studies in 2023, said the campaign was born following a controversy over Chief Justice of India Surya Kant using the terms "parasites" and "cockroaches" while pulling up a lawyer for his plea seeking senior designation. Though the later clarified that he was misquoted and his remarks were directed specifically at individuals entering the legal profession through "fake and bogus degrees", the CJP, with the insect as its symbol, took the social media by storm. "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. Abhijeet's mother Anita said she would want her son to stay away from politics and instead focus on getting a job. "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. Dipke studied in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, earlier known as Aurangabad, initially and later moved to Pune for further studies. Engineering was difficult for him, so he decided to move towards mass media, his mother said. Dipke's father, Bhagwan said that his son decided to study journalism abroad because his sister was already there. The father said he wanted his son to take up a job in Pune or Delhi. The parents said they first learned about the CJP from 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. Also Read | After beating BJP, Cockroach Janta Party surpasses Congress on Instagram Bhagwan said the explosion of CJP on social media has made him anxious. "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. Using memes, the CJP platform has quickly gained traction through sharp political satire and commentary. Much of its content centres on youth concerns such as unemployment, examination paper leaks and education, packaged through graphics, animation, manifestos and charter-style demands. Dipke said in an interview that he fears being arrested the moment he lands in Delhi. Dipke, whose CJP has taken the internet by storm, is currently based in the US, where he studied public relations. 'I could be arrested from Delhi airport' Dipke, 30, spoke to independent news platform Red Mike, where he said he plans to return to India next month. "I just had my graduation day. I am planning to be back in India next month. And going by the pattern, I am sure that the moment I land at Delhi airport, I will be taken by Delhi Police and taken to Tihar," Dipke told Saurabh Shukla in the interview. Also Read | Cockroach Janta Party targets Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET row in new video Dipke's remarks came soon after Cockroach Janta Party's X handle, with over 200,000 followers, was withheld on 21 May, five days after it was formed. The campaign created a new handle, ‘Cockroach is Back’, which has gained about 175k followers within 24 hours. The action against the earlier handle by the Union government came after the Intelligence Bureau (IB) raised “national security concerns”, The Indian Express reported today, citing a senior government official.