Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar alleged that the growing ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ (CJP) trend on social media was part of a larger cross-border effort aimed at weakening India and undermining the Narendra Modi-led government.
In a post on X, Chandrasekhar claimed that the online campaign was not organic and was instead being driven through coordinated digital tactics involving manipulation and foreign influence. “The #CockroachParty gambit is yet another classic cross-border ‘influence operation’ targeting India and PM @narendramodi govt, designed by vested interests to destabilise India, helped along by elements in our ‘opposition’,” he wrote.
Expanding on his allegations, Chandrasekhar warned about the growing role of technology in shaping political narratives online. “In the age of social media, bots, AI and its weaponisation, influence operations are dangerous, effective ways to destabilise by building fake, seemingly organic narratives,” he said.
The BJP leader argued that India’s growing global stature and economic rise under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had led to resentment from certain countries. “I have always maintained that India’s rise and its modernisation under PM @narendramodi will be resented by many countries and there will be many hurdles created for our continued rise,” Chandrasekhar added.
Referring to major geopolitical and economic disruptions over the past few years, Rajeev Chandrasekhar credited the Prime Minister with steering the country through crises. “Starting with Covid, world economies, even the biggest ones, including India, have had to face major challenges, pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war, US-Iran war, energy shocks, Chinese aggression, but through all these crises, PM Modi has kept all Indians protected, safe and resilient and kept our economy growing,” he said.
Calling it an example of strong leadership, he added, “That is the mettle of true leadership, and our united response to countries and the world’s challenges is the right thing to do today. #NeverForget.” The BJP leader also launched a sharp attack on critics of the government, saying, “No cockroach, no petty Indian opposition politician, no Modi-hating joker, no foreign vested interest can derail our collective resolve to build a better future for all Indians. #ViksitBharat.”
Meanwhile, Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda criticised what he described as action against social media accounts linked to the Cockroach Janta Party trend. Claiming that the platform’s X account had been blocked, Hooda accused the BJP of stifling criticism. “I heard today that their X account has been banned. After demonetisation and the vote ban, the BJP has now implemented a ‘cockroach ban’. If someone criticises you on social media in this manner, you have their accounts shut down. This is completely inappropriate in a democracy, but that is how things are running,” he told ANI.
Hooda further argued that the trend reflected deeper public dissatisfaction, particularly among young people. “I believe this movement is a reflection of the youth, the deep-seated anger among them, and the flawed system the BJP has created that has completely compromised the governance structure,” he said. He also cautioned against political parties attempting to take ownership of the movement. “If this gets caught up in the Aam Aadmi Party’s or someone else’s trap, or if only one political entity tries to hijack it, the movement will simply fizzle out and die,” Hooda added.
