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Justice Katju argues that the Cockroach Janta Party is a satirical political stunt born out of youth frustration and unemployment, but lacking any serious vision to solve India’s core economic and social crises.
The Cockroach Janta Party is a joke
By Justice Markandey Katju
The newly formed Cockroach Janta Party ( hereinafter referred to as the CJP ) in India has now got about 18 million social media followers, far more than the ruling BJP or the Congress party.
It was formed as a satire in consequence of the remarks made in court on 15th May 2026 during a hearing by Justice Surya Kant, the Chief Justice of India, likening unemployed youth to cockroaches and parasites.
Later, when there was a huge uproar against the unwarranted observations, the CJI issued a clarification that he was only referring to persons entering a profession with fake degrees
The point, however, remained what was the need of such an unnecessary and provocative remark, which had nothing to do with the merits of the case being heard?
On 16th May 2026, Abhijeet Dipke, a student of Boston University and political communication strategist, created the CJP, which has now acquired huge followers. Some people in India are even thinking of contesting elections under its banner, and many have likened it to the Aam Admi Party led by Arvind Kejriwal which came to power in Delhi, or the TVK led by filmstar Vijay which has recently come to power in Tamilnadu.
My own opinion is that the CJP is just a joke and a stunt, and will disappear before long.
The emergence of the CJP was a consequence of the frustration of Indian youth, many of whom are unemployed.
What is the agenda of the CJP? It is given in this link.
There is no mention in it how the party will solve India's massive problems of poverty, unemployment, price rise, child malnutrition, lack of healthcare and good education, etc. The issues raised by the CJP are peripheral and trivial as compared to those mentioned above. So it is obvious it has no vision as to how to solve these massive issues, assuming it comes to power.
Apart from that, everyone knows that Indian politics largely runs on the basis of caste and religion. Which caste or religion does the CJP represent? The answer can only be: none.
No doubt the AAP came to power in Delhi, though it represented no caste or religion, but avowed honesty in public life. People voted for it as they were fed up of corruption, and wanted an alternative to the Congress and the BJP. However, this figleaf soon disappeared when its leader, Kejriwal, realised that in India one cannot do politics without corruption ( since politics requires a huge amount of money, which can only come by corruption ) and soon AAP was involved in scandal after scandal. Eventually, it was displaced by the BJP, which claims to represent the Hindus. So this proves that in India, to win elections, a party must represent some caste or religion.
As regards Tamil Nadu, it is an exceptional state, where till now politics did not run on the basis of caste and religion but on film stars and Dravidian politics. But people there got fed up of the worthless and corrupt DMK and ADMK, and rushed into the arms of a third alternative, the TVK, like children following the Pied Piper of Hamelin. However, Tamilians will soon get disillusioned by the empty-headed Vijay, and may seek a fourth alternative, which may well be the BJP.
The CJP is just a gimmick, hoax, flimflam, legerdemain, cozenage, shenanigan, bunkum, balderdash, and baloney. It is like an empty bubble which will soon burst, or a comet which will disappear after momentarily illuminating the sky.
(Justice Katju is a retired Judge of the Supreme Court of India and a former Chairman of the Press Council of India. These are his personal views.)
