Govt should be concerned: Prashant Kishor on CJP surge

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor said the popularity of the Cockroach Janta Party reflects growing public frustration over unemployment, corruption and inflation. He warned that the campaign’s rapid online support signals rising anxiety and declining trust in the system

Patna: Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Saturday said the frenzied public response to satirical digital outfit Cockroach Janta Party underscored public distress over unemployment, corruption and price rise, and the government should be concerned. The former poll strategist also asserted that although it was a “social media campaign” so far, its popularity indicated that the “trust in the system was giving way to anxiety”.

The platform surfaced last week following a controversy over remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a court hearing on the issue of ‘senior’ designation for a lawyer.

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The CJI later clarified that his observations, directed at individuals entering the legal profession using “fake and bogus degrees”, were misquoted.

Replying to queries from reporters over the campaign, Kishor said, “The so-called party is being talked about because within no time of it hitting the Internet, nearly two crore people have signed up. Of course, as of now, the party has no organisational structure and not much is known about its objectives and leadership”.

“It must be understood that there is public distress which has led to so many people associating themselves with the party. Problems like unemployment, corruption, price rise and non-availability of gas and fertilisers have created a situation in which so many people are endorsing this campaign,” he said.

Asked if the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) campaign could have an impact on the 2029 general elections, Kishor said, “That remains to be seen. But the response to the campaign should have the government concerned. It is indicative of a trust in the system giving way to anxiety.” The CJP emerged last week and gained traction online over its satirical digital campaign through memes and commentary on unemployment, education policy and alleged examination paper leaks. Its X account was withheld in India on Thursday. Soon after, however, came another handle – ‘Cockroach is Back’ with the tagline ‘Cockroaches Don’t Die’.

In a post on X, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the digital outfit’s Instagram page, his personal Instagram account and the outfit’s X handle had either been hacked or withheld and “any post made after this should not be considered an official statement from the Cockroach Janta Party”.