The parents of a Gen-Z icon fear for his safety after a government crackdown on his new cockroach-inspired political party
A new political party in India, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), has made international news headlines this week not only as a satirical response to the Chief Justice of India’s recent comments comparing unemployed young Indians to “cockroaches”, but also for the response it has provoked from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party.
The Navbharat Times, a Hindi newspaper in India, reports that the CJP founder Abhijit Dipke’s parents are increasingly concerned about his safety after the government blocked the CJP’s X account, its Instagram was targeted by unknown hackers, and Dipke began receiving death threats on WhatsApp. In India, interviewing the parents of young people in the news, whether they are protestors, assault victims or rising celebrities is a common practice, as is reporting on their academic performance at school. A common question used to chastise young people loitering in India is: “What do your parents think of what you are doing?”
Dipke’s father Bhagwan told reporters “I can’t sleep because I am so worried about my son. I hate politics, and I just want him to stay safe.” His mother Anita said she’d like her son to stay away from politics entirely (he was previously a political communications strategist for a different Indian political party). She also said she thinks it’s unlikely that her son would do as his parents desired; she told the newspaper that he was studying to be an engineer, but found the subject “too difficult” and turned to journalism. He currently lives in Boston.
Some political observers say that the CJP’s soaring online popularity, particularly among Gen-Z Indians, is a notable expression of dissent that is reminiscent of recent student and youth-led uprisings and political revolutions across South Asia including in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Nepal. Since its creation earlier this month, the CJP has amassed more followers on social media than the far right Hindu nationalist BJP, which has been in power since 2014. The government is known for harsh crackdowns on student protestors, often keeping them imprisoned for years without trial or bail. It’s no wonder then that Dipke’s parents are losing sleep.
Dipke has challenged the block of the CJP’s X account in a Delhi court and the party is now also the subject of a public interest lawsuit. Dipke and his parents have expressed concern that he could be arrested at an Indian airport and taken straight to Tihar, India’s largest prison complex, upon returning to his home country.
The Indian government has not yet made an official statement about the CJP.
The original articles ‘कॉकरोच जनता पार्टी के खिलाफ सुप्रीम कोर्ट में याचिका, जानें कौन-कौन से लीगल एक्शन लेने की उठी मांग’ and ‘हम बेटे को राजनीति में नहीं चाहते… ‘कॉकरोच जनता पार्टी’ वाले अभिजीत दीपके के माता-पिता को आखिर किस बात का डर’ appeared in Hindi The Navbharat Times on May 24 and May 22, respectively.
The Navbharat Times is a Hindi newspaper distributed in Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow and Kanpur.
Summary by Nishita Jha
