Are CJP's 'cockroaches' from Pakistan? Founder Abhijeet Dipke shares followers’ demographics to deny claims

The rapid rise of the recently launched Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on social media has triggered a wave of political reactions and online debate. What started as a satirical digital campaign has now evolved into a major internet phenomenon, with the group’s follower count surpassing that of both the BJP and the Congress on Instagram.

As the CJP’s Instagram account crossed the BJP’s 9 million follower mark, several social media users began alleging that a significant portion of the page’s followers came from Pakistan. Posts circulating online claimed that the platform was being used to influence Indian youth and spread “anti-India propaganda.”

Among those amplifying the allegation were BJP leaders and Right-wing commentators. BJP leader Tajinder Bagga shared a graphic purportedly showing the geographic distribution of the CJP’s followers. According to the chart posted by him, 49 per cent of the followers were from Pakistan, 14 per cent from the United States, another 14 per cent from Bangladesh, and only 9 per cent from India. The remaining followers were shown as being from countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Sharing the image, Bagga referred to the group as the “Pakistan Janata Party.”

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also weighed in on the controversy through posts on X. In one post, he wrote: “India has enough population and highly energetic youth population who could be genuine and valuable followers! No need to seek validation from the anti India gang.”

In another post, he said, “I pity those who seek their followers in social media from Pakistan & George Soros gang.”

However, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has strongly denied allegations that the page’s followers are largely Pakistani. In a post on X, Dipke shared a screen recording showing the page's analytics to counter the viral claims.

According to the data shown in the video, India accounts for 94.7 per cent of the page’s audience. The United States follows with 1 per cent, while the United Kingdom accounts for 0.7 per cent. Canada and the United Arab Emirates each contribute 0.6 per cent of the audience.

The analytics further showed that Delhi contributed the highest share of Indian followers at 9.3 per cent, followed by Bengaluru at 6.2 per cent, Mumbai at 5.1 per cent, Kolkata at 4.5 per cent, and Pune at 2.5 per cent.

Notably, neither Pakistan nor Bangladesh appeared among the top audience locations shown in the video shared by Dipke.

Meanwhile, the founder has also alleged government action against its online presence. The CJP’s website recently became inaccessible in India and appears to be unavailable in several other regions as well. Responding to the development, Dipke claimed authorities had “taken down our iconic website” and questioned why they were “so scared of cockroaches.”

In another post on X, he said the group was already preparing a new digital platform, saying: “Cockroaches never die.”

Dipke, who is a political communications strategist and a student at Boston University in the United States, has additionally alleged that both his personal Instagram account and the CJP’s Instagram handle were hacked.

The Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical spin on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, has rapidly gained traction online since its launch, turning into one of the most talked-about political parody movements on Indian social media.

The Cockroach Janta Party emerged on May 16, shortly after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant allegedly compared unemployed youth to cockroaches during court proceedings. Though the Chief Justice later clarified that his remarks were aimed at people holding “fake and bogus degrees” and not unemployed youth in general, the statement sparked widespread criticism online and inspired the creation of the satirical political page.