Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the viral online movement Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has alleged that he is facing casteist abuse on social media after revealing that he belongs to the Dalit community in a post on X.
The online attacks began shortly after Dipke publicly disclosed his caste identity while responding to questions regarding the party’s position on reservation, Dalit rights and social justice. The issue surfaced after an X user questioned the Cockroach Janta Party’s silence on caste-related concerns. “But there is an important thing that you haven’t answered so far — said anything on the issue of reservation nor voicing out your support for Dalit causes and social justice,” the user wrote. Responding to the query, Dipke said, “I am a Dalit myself. I hope that will answer all your questions.”
Soon after the post, several users on X began targeting the 30-year-old with caste-based remarks and insults. One user said, “So the self-proclaimed Gen Z leader is against Merit.” Another user posted, “Aa gya D card (here comes the Dalit card),” while some others mocked Dipke’s political ambitions and questioned his credibility. One account, identified as Hindutva Knight, wrote, “So? You want to become PM with -40 votes?”
Several users, however, came out in Dipke’s support and criticised the casteist comments directed at him. One social media user wrote, “The amount of hate UCs harbour for dalits is disgusting.”
The controversy comes amid the rapid rise of the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical online movement launched by Abhijeet Dipke following remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a court hearing.
During the proceedings, the CJI had referred to unemployed youth as “cockroaches” and “parasites”, remarks that triggered widespread criticism online. Justice Surya Kant later clarified that his comments had been misrepresented by sections of the media.
In the aftermath of the controversy, Dipke launched the Cockroach Janta Party as a satirical platform, encouraging young people to reclaim the term “cockroach” as a symbol of resistance against unemployment, political neglect and lack of opportunities.
What began as a parody initiative soon evolved into a wider digital movement, drawing significant traction among young social media users. The platform’s Instagram following has since surged past 20.5 million, while thousands of users have reportedly signed up through its website. The party has also attracted attention from political figures, with Trinamool Congress MPs Mahua Moitra and Kirti Azad among those publicly expressing support for the initiative.
Abhijeet Dipke, a public relations student at Boston University and a native of Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, has previously said the movement reflects growing frustration among young people with traditional political structures. While initially launched as satire, Dipke has suggested that the Cockroach Janta Party is gradually evolving into a broader youth-led political and civic engagement movement. According to him, the platform aims to encourage political participation among young people and promote civic action through mechanisms such as filing RTIs and holding governments accountable.
