Former poll campaign strategist and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Saturday said the massive public response to the satirical digital outfit Cockroach Janta Party reflected widespread distress over unemployment, corruption and rising prices, and should be a matter of concern for the government.
The political strategist also maintained that although the initiative remained, for now, a “social media campaign”, its growing popularity suggested that “trust in the system was giving way to anxiety”.
The platform emerged last week following a controversy over remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a court hearing related to the conferment of ‘senior’ designation on a lawyer.
The CJI later clarified that his observations, aimed at individuals entering the legal profession with “fake and bogus degrees”, had been misquoted.
Responding to reporters’ questions about the campaign, Kishor said, “The so-called party is being talked about because within no time of it hitting the Internet, nearly two crore people have signed up.
Of course, as of now, the party has no organisational structure and not much is known about its objectives and leadership.”
“It must be understood that there is public distress which has led to so many people associating themselves with the party.
Problems like unemployment, corruption, price rise and non-availability of gas and fertilisers have created a situation in which so many people are endorsing this campaign,” he said.
Asked whether the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) campaign could influence the 2029 general elections, Kishor said, “That remains to be seen.
But the response to the campaign should have the government concerned.
It is indicative of a trust in the system giving way to anxiety.”
The CJP surfaced last week and quickly gained traction online through its satirical campaign of memes and commentary focusing on unemployment, education policy and alleged examination paper leaks.
Its X account was withheld in India on Thursday.
Soon after, however, another handle — ‘Cockroach is Back’ — appeared with the tagline, “Cockroaches Don’t Die”.
In a post on X, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the outfit’s Instagram page, his personal Instagram account and the group’s X handle had either been hacked or withheld, adding that “any post made after this should not be considered an official statement from the Cockroach Janta Party”.