NEW DELHI: The founder of India´s satirical online “Cockroach People´s Party” said he was flying back to New Delhi on Friday, to take the viral social media campaign to the streets.
Abhijeet Dipke, the 30-year-old Boston University graduate behind the online movement, said he was flying back from the United States, to seek police permission for a peaceful protest on Saturday against the education minister.
The parody “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) -- echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi´s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- has won millions of online followers on social media since its launch last month.
CJP was set up after India´s Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly called young people who criticised the government “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a hearing. Kant later said his comments were taken out of context.
Dipke, a political communications strategist who formerly worked with the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), created the fictional party online on May 16.
Its popularity has soared, using the slogan “a political front for the youth, by the youth, for the youth”.
Dipke has called for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who has faced criticism over alleged irregularities in several key examinations. “On my way to India... Leaving my fate in the hands of the Constitution,” Dipke wrote in a post on X on Friday.
