CJP Rebel Launches Democratic Faction, Accuses Dipke Camp Of Becoming ‘Team Kejriwal’
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led political movement founded by Abhijeet Dipke, has faced its first major internal rebellion, with former volunteer Manish Brahmbhatt announcing a breakaway faction called the Cockroach Janata Party-Democratic (CJP-D).
Brahmbhatt accused the CJP leadership of excluding grassroots volunteers and alleged that the organisation had effectively become a hand-picked “Team Kejriwal” dominated by individuals with previous links to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The CJP or Dipke had not publicly responded to Brahmbhatt’s allegations at the time of the report.
Brahmbhatt Accuses CJP Leadership Of Sidelining Volunteers
Announcing the new faction in Delhi on Thursday, Brahmbhatt claimed the original movement had moved away from the issues that brought young protesters together.
“Today, we are launching the Cockroach Janata Party-Democratic,” Brahmbhatt said, alleging that the original CJP team had turned into a group serving the political interests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP.
He alleged that the leadership was more focused on political arrangements and opposing the BJP than addressing concerns raised by students and people across different states.
Brahmbhatt further claimed that eight members selected for the CJP team had links with the AAP. This allegation has not been independently established.
Dispute Began After Meeting At Dipke’s Residence
The latest development follows a protest Brahmbhatt held in August outside Dipke’s residence in Maharashtra.
Brahmbhatt had travelled from Gujarat to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after learning that members of the CJP’s core team were holding a meeting at Dipke’s house.
Along with his associate Rahul Pandya, he protested against what they alleged was the exclusion of active volunteers who had participated in the Jantar Mantar agitation.
Both Brahmbhatt and Pandya were subsequently hospitalised after their health deteriorated during the protest.
At that stage, Brahmbhatt was identified publicly as a CJP worker.
How The CJP Movement Started
Dipke founded the CJP on May 16 as a satirical online initiative following outrage over remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, in which certain people were described as “cockroaches” and “parasites”.
What began as an online joke subsequently developed into a youth-focused platform addressing issues including unemployment, examination paper leaks and alleged irregularities in the education system.
The movement later expanded its activities beyond social media and organised protests, including an agitation at Jantar Mantar.
Brahmbhatt Questions Representation In National Team
Brahmbhatt said dissenting volunteers had suggested creating a national organisational structure that would give representation to protesters from different parts of India.
He alleged that communities and individuals who had supported the Jantar Mantar movement were not adequately represented in the CJP’s leadership.
The criticism surfaced after the organisation announced a national working committee with Dipke as its national convenor. Brahmbhatt and his supporters alleged that the selection process favoured people close to Dipke and did not sufficiently involve grassroots participants.
Dipke Acknowledges Past AAP Association
Dipke has previously acknowledged his association with the AAP but has maintained that he no longer has any connection with the Kejriwal-led party.
Questions over the relationship between the CJP and AAP have nevertheless grown after Kejriwal and other AAP leaders appeared alongside Dipke during a CJP-led agitation at Jantar Mantar.
The participation of AAP leaders and the previous political associations of some CJP members have fuelled speculation about links between the two groups. However, these factors alone do not establish Brahmbhatt’s allegation that the CJP is operating at Kejriwal’s direction.
The launch of CJP-D now marks a significant internal split in a movement that emerged only months ago and had positioned itself as a youth platform focused on public and student-related issues.