Meet the cockroach who's launched India's newest political party

A week ago, Abhijeet Dipke was applying for jobs in Boston. Then a remark by the Chief Justice of India comparing young Indians on social media to “cockroaches” and “parasites” sparked outrage online. Within three days, Abhijeet had launched the Cockroach Janata Party, a movement that exploded across social media, drew lakhs of followers, and turned an internet insult into a political identity. We spoke to the man at the centre of it all.

Hi Abhijeet, so for our viewers, you are a 30-year-old Indian student who just graduated from Boston University in public relations. Do you have a job?

No. I was applying for a job a week ago and then this thing happened. So I don’t know. Maybe there are some other plans now.

Oh, so you are the cockroach then?

Yeah, I am the cockroach. The Chief Justice of India was exactly talking about me.

It was so triggering to hear the word cockroach that you decided to launch a party?

I think it was more triggering because it came from the Chief Justice of India, who is the custodian of the Constitution, which grants us freedom of expression. Someone who is there to safeguard our freedom of expression is comparing us to cockroaches and parasites just for putting forward our opinions. That was the more hurtful part. Had this comment been made by anybody else from the ruling party, which they normally do, it wouldn’t have caused such a stir. But it came from someone who is supposed to protect our freedom of expression.

What about Arvind Kejriwal? Can he join the Cockroach Party?

He can extend his support if he wants to, but I don’t think anybody among Gen Z would like any political party to be involved in this.

I brought up Arvind Kejriwal because I know you have been associated with the Aam Aadmi Party in the past. Back then, you were their communications in-charge, if I remember correctly. Take us through what happened. Arvind Kejriwal could not live up to expectations, which is why you are doing what you’re doing now?

No, it is not that, Sonal. I worked there from 2020 to 2023 for a brief period. I was actually very inspired by the health and education model they worked on. It was refreshing because, in Indian politics then, health and education were nowhere in the discourse, and he delivered on that. So I was inspired by it and wanted to contribute. After that, I thought maybe I needed to move forward with my life. I took a year off, started preparing my applications, and in 2024 I decided it was time to focus on personal life and financial stability. I applied to some universities, got into Boston University, and I have been here since then.

So in the past one year, we have seen a lot of Gen Z movements happen in India’s neighbourhood. We saw one in Bangladesh, one in Sri Lanka, and one in Nepal. There were memes online saying, “India ka Gen Z kahan hai? (Where is India's Gen Z?)” Are you, in some way, trying to say, “India ka Gen Z yahan hai? (India's Gen Z is here?)”

I think, India ka Gen Z hamesha yahi tha (India's Gen Z was here only). Because look at the kind of support we have received in just three days, Sonal. Today we have three lakh registered members. On Instagram, we have 3.3 million followers. Do you really think that is possible through any orchestrated campaign? No, it is not. It is frustration.

How will you sustain this, Abhijeet? This could be a flash-in-the-pan moment, right? It could be something that is just a trend. How will you sustain it and what exactly do you intend to do with it?

Yeah, that is a big challenge and we are trying our best. What we are going to do is reach out to all the people who have registered and listen to them and their concerns. Because the biggest complaint I have been getting is that nobody listens to them, nobody talks to them, they don’t even acknowledge their existence. That is how they feel. And now they are being compared to cockroaches and parasites. So they are really upset with how the current system totally ignores them. We are going to ask them: what do you think the political discourse should be like? What are the issues you want us to focus on? Because this is your moment. You have the power to decide what the political discourse of this country should be.

Okay, so currently you don’t have an exact plan of action, but you are going to listen to the people and figure it out.

Because it has just been three or four days. And as I told you, none of this was planned. If I had planned it, I wouldn’t be doing it from the US. I would have been in India. But I want to underline this: this has happened because of the frustration young people have carried for many years. India has the largest young population, and the majority of that young population is out of the workforce.

There is a five-point agenda on your website. No Chief Justice shall be granted a Rajya Sabha seat or post-retirement reward. Any Election Commissioner who deletes legitimate votes shall be arrested under UAPA. Women shall receive 50 per cent, not 33 per cent, reservation, along with 50 per cent of all Cabinet positions. And media licences held by houses owned by Ambani and Adani shall be cancelled. Are you really saying this is possible in India today, or is it just for clicks?

I think this is about what the ideal situation should be and what we should strive for. We are striving for an India where all institutions are independent, be it the judiciary, the Election Commission, or the media. The greatest threat to Indian democracy today is that all of those institutions seem to be aligned with the ruling party, and that is a very dangerous sign.

Your critics would say Gen Z only outrages online and when they turn up on the streets, it is to make reels. Is this another flash in the pan?

No, I don’t think so. For the past few months, I have been observing a growing shift. Earlier, people were frustrated but they wouldn’t even express their dissatisfaction. Now, if you go on Instagram, these people are speaking up. This is just the first stage. Earlier they were not even speaking up. Now they have reached a point where they are being vocal. And tomorrow they might even come out on the streets. But let me remind you, if they do, don’t think it will be like Nepal or Bangladesh. These people are really smart. I have been speaking to hundreds of them and they are explaining how they need to protest in a very democratic and peaceful manner. They understand how important it is to raise their voices, but within their constitutional rights. These people are smarter than the entire Cabinet sitting there today.

They are still winning elections, Abhijeet.

If you appreciate democracy, you have to appreciate that they are winning elections. But how are they winning elections? We should also discuss that.

The Chief Justice of India has clarified his comments. He said they were aimed at those who are disgruntled and weren’t doing enough. Is the Cockroach Janata Party buying that clarification?

I find the clarification even more despicable. Because he said it was aimed at people who don’t have a real degree or have a bogus degree. Sonal, we all know that the majority of India today lives in rural areas. Rural youth, even Gen Z in rural India, work as daily wage labourers because they don’t have formal degrees. They don’t have the privilege of getting a formal education. So those who don’t have the privilege to earn a formal degree don’t have the right to speak up in a democracy? What is the Chief Justice of India trying to say here? Doesn’t the Constitution, which he has sworn to protect, say that every individual, irrespective of educational qualification or social status, has the right to freedom of expression? How can you say that someone who doesn’t have a formal degree is a cockroach? This is so disheartening to hear from the Chief Justice of India.

Abhijeet, tell me, is there any leader, anybody in the Indian political spectrum, who you see leading Indian youth today? Apart from you, of course.

I am not leading them. Basically, they have created this movement on their own. I was not expecting this.

Leaderless movements are even worse. We know what happened.

I don’t think this will stay leaderless. I think this movement will produce faces. More educated faces than we have today. And that would be a really good sign for Indian politics. So nobody in India currently represents Gen Z. I would like to ask you: when was the last time you heard any Indian politician trying to engage with Gen Z? You are a journalist. You have been in this field for quite a long time. Please tell me who was the last politician who actually tried to address this Gen Z population.

Vijay comes to mind since he is the one Gen Z really voted for. But this is very recent. We won’t include him in the existing political system that exists today.

So even you don’t have the answer. See, that’s what I’m talking about. I have opinions, but I am not going to voice them here because it is not my party.

Abhijeet, how many cockroaches have come to your platform now?

On Instagram, we have 3.3 million followers, roughly 33 lakh, in just three to four days. I don’t think any organisation or movement in the world has gained this kind of following in such a short time.

Is this an organisation or a social media trend?

It is becoming an organisation. If it were just a trend, more than two lakh people would not have registered on the website. Trends on social media don’t last beyond 24 to 48 hours. Today is the fourth day and our sign-ups are still growing. Yesterday it was one and a half lakh, today it has crossed two lakh. On Instagram, yesterday we had 20 lakh followers and in the last 12 hours another 10 lakh joined. It is growing day by day. Who is addressing these issues? No political party is talking about them.

So will you fight the 2029 elections on these issues? Will the Cockroach Party contest in 2029?

It is too early to say that. It has only been three days since this movement started. We will talk to people, take their suggestions on what to do and what not to do. Because the biggest complaint is that no party talks to them, no party listens to them. They are completely ignored. But now they have entered a space where other political parties, because of this movement, are starting to take notice. Leaders from other parties are ready to support us. But Gen Z has made up its mind. They are all telling me: do whatever you want, but do not let any other political party get involved in this movement.

You are saying you will not join hands with any political party. But what will you do going forward?

We will start our own independent movement. Our aim right now is to change India’s political discourse. Because Sonal, what has India’s political discourse been for the last 10 to 12 years? Hindu-Muslim, the same things over and over again. How long will this continue? What is anyone getting from this? If something good is coming out of it, tell me. But what is really coming from it? Gen Z does not think anything meaningful is coming from it. And I have been sitting in the US for two years watching what is happening there, how the AI industry can be expanded, how the semiconductor industry can grow, how the whole of the US can run on clean and renewable energy. That is what young people there are discussing. What is happening in our country? Hindu-Muslim, Hindu-Muslim. And the result of that is the NEET paper leak. Sonal, a 17-year-old child committed suicide. A child who had appeared for the NEET exam. He committed suicide because the paper was leaked. This was a child who could have gone on to become a doctor, served the country, and saved lives. This government, this political system, forced him to take his own life. And what was the consequence? Did the Education Minister resign? Did the opposition even create pressure by asking how he was still in office? Whether it is the BJP or the opposition, how do we believe these people can do anything? I was just reading a news report from Europe. An Indian tourist went to Portugal. A minister there had to resign because of his death. One tourist’s death, Sonal. In Portugal, a minister resigns because one tourist dies. Here, a child in our country is committing suicide because of the failure of the government and the system, and that minister is still in his position. The Rajasthan Education Minister said it is not such a big deal. So what is the value of a life in India?

Abhijeet, you are raising all the right issues. I think that is why the youth is connecting with you. But how will you run this party? Where will the funding come from? Tell me this as my last question.

We are building a strategy around all of that and I would say please give us a little time, because we do not want to do anything in haste that disturbs or damages this movement. Whatever we do, we will do it with a full strategy. I know many people are asking me again and again, what is your strategy? But we have only been at this for three days. Three days ago, we did not know we would have two lakh people. If we had known, we would have built a strategy in advance. So it is very early. Give us some time. Because we do not want to do anything that gives people in the establishment a chance to say, “We told you this would not last.” Those sitting in the establishment are just waiting for your failure so they can say, “We told you.” And we do not want to give them that opportunity.

Alright Abhijeet. Good luck. Stay the cockroach that you are and good luck with everything you do in the future.

Thank you, Sonal. Thank you so much for giving us a platform.

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