Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee and party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee have expressed support for the satirical digital movement known as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), according to senior TMC leader Derek O’Brien.
In a post shared on X on Monday, O’Brien revealed that both leaders had shown “fondness and full support” for the online collective during a week of internal party meetings focused on strategy and political challenges.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
“Purposive meetings all week with @mamataofficial and @abhishekaitc. Both focused on fighting the good fight. Steely resolve,” O’Brien wrote. “Oh and they both expressed their fondness and full support for Cockroaches.”
The Cockroach Janta Party was launched on May 16 by Boston-based Abhijeet Dipke and quickly became a viral online movement built around satire, memes, and digital activism. The movement emerged after remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant were interpreted online as comparing unemployed youth to “cockroaches.”
Using the “cockroach” symbol as a protest identity, the group attracted widespread attention across social media platforms. According to the now-removed CJP website, membership was open to people who were “unemployed, lazy, chronically online” and capable of “ranting professionally.”
The group has recently targeted Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged failures in the education system and the reported NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy.
Dipke has also alleged a crackdown on the movement, claiming that multiple social media accounts linked to the CJP became inaccessible. He further alleged that his Instagram account was hacked and a backup social media account was temporarily suspended.
Despite this, the movement’s new X account, “Cockroach is Back,” has gained more than 2.27 lakh followers, highlighting its growing online reach and influence.
