Chief Justice of India Surya Kant may have casually remarked and called activists and journalists cockroaches during a hearing, but the Indian public is letting him know that he can’t get away with it. While the CJI eventually took back his words, thousands of people have ‘joined’ the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a satirical organisation, which stands for the unemployed youth of India.
Started on May 15, a day after the CJI passed the controversial remarks, wherein he criticised activists and journalists, the CJP was founded by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old who is currently pursuing pubic relations from Boston University in America. While such things are usually forgotten, Cockroach Janata Party’s surge in popularity is perhaps telling of the anger against the CJI’s comments.
So what does he CJP stand for exactly? And who can be part of it?
Anyone who is unemployed, and can professionally rant apparently. Which essentially means everyone on the internet. The CockRoach Janata Party is essentially what we want every political party to be – honest, and one that stands against everything that is wrong with our system. Clearly many are frustrated, because CJP within a day managed to get about a lakh members!
And the space is clearly for the young only, for its motto is ‘Secular, Socialist, Democratic, Lazy’. Between its membership drive that is ongoing, many have not missed its intelligent messaging that has gone out. The CJP is more or less aimed at criticising power. It’s members over the last 24 hours have in fact touched over 43000 on X and almost 7.4 lakhs on Instagram alone.
“A political front of the youth, by the youth, for the youth” is what is the description. It is also important to note the background of this development and the comments by CJI Suryakant that led to this. On May 15, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant was quoted by media houses during a hearing, wherein he likened unemployed youth to “cockroaches” and “parasites”.
What the CJI said
He remarked that such people become activists and even journalists. After a huge outrage, he issued a clarification a day later about his oral remarks after reports circulated that he had likened unemployed youth to “cockroaches” and “parasites.” His clarification said that his comments were solely for individuals who entered professions like law with fake or bogus degrees, and not at the youth.
CJI Surya Kant, according to Bar and Bench also expressed pain over what he said was misquotation of his remarks by sections of the media. He clarified that his statements or criticism was aimed at people who entered professions and other fields via fraudulent qualifications, which is why he called them “parasites”.
According to Live Law, CJI Surya Kant said, “It is totally baseless to suggest that I criticised the youth of our nation. Not only am I proud of our present and future human resource, but every youth of India inspires me.”
CJP’s demands
But clearly the youth did not believe him, because the damage was done. The CJP’s demands pretty much sum it up. The first one itself is a direct shot at the CJI’s comments itself, since it says that “no Chief Justice shall be granted a Rajya Sabha seat as a post-retirement reward”.
Other demands also proposed arresting the Chief Election Commissioner if “any legit vote is deleted” under the stringent UAPA law, stating that the denial of voting rights is “no less than terrorism”. The demand can be viewed as a response to many citizens alleging arbitrary deletion of names from electoral rolls in recent elections.
Similarly, the CJP has also called for a free media, and in its proposed a 20-year ban from elections and public office if any MLA or MP defects from their party to another. In some way, the organic response to the Chief Justice of India’s remarks can also be seen as a response also to the growing frustration among sections of the youth and society at large against the governmet.
