Founder’s parents lose sleep as ‘Cockroach’ sets social media on fire

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - May 22, 2026 11:45 am IST - Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Abhijeet Dipke, founder of Cockroach Janta Party, and, right, the mascot of the online outfit. Special Arrangement Special arrangement The meteoric rise of satirical digital outfit Cockroach Janta Party on social media has left the parents of its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, overwhelmed by fears that he could land in trouble or even face arrest. The outfit, now popular as CJP, has garnered over 19 million followers on Instagram since it was founded barely a week ago by Boston University student Mr. Dipke, earlier associated with the Aam Aadmi Party. His parents, Bhagwan and Anita Dipke, who live in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, told a Marathi news channel on Thursday (May 21) that they were not keen on letting their son enter politics. The parents said they have lost their sleep after learning about Mr. Abhijeet Dipke’s move. Cockroach Janata Party, according to Mr. Dipke, 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 CJI 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 Mr. Bhagwan Dipke. Mr. Abhijeet Dipke’s mother Ms. Anita Dipke, 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. The mother said Mr. Abhijeet Dipke studied in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar initially and later moved to Pune for further studies. Engineering was difficult for him, so he decided to move towards mass media, she said. Mr. Bhagwan Dipke added that Mr. Abhijeet Dipke 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 Ms. Anita Dipke. Mr. Bhagwan Dipke 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. Maharashtra / mass media / politics / politics (general) / India Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

Founder’s parents lose sleep as ‘Cockroach’ sets social media on fire

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Founder’s parents lose sleep as ‘Cockroach’ sets social media on fire

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