On X, Dipke also announced the names of three spokespersons of CJP.
The 30-year-old has been actively writing against the administration on social media platforms.
CPJ was also one of his posts on X that gained momentum on social media after CJI Surya Kant’s remark.
Vijeta Dahiya- Identifying himself as poet, writer, and filmmaker, Dahiya has made political and social content on social media.
Dharmendra Pradhan must quit for NEET, CBSE failuresAtul Kulkarni – Actor Atul Kulkarni too has come out in support of the CJP protest.
On Tuesday, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk posted on X that he will be joining the protest at Jantar Mantar. Actors Prakash Raj and Atul Kulkarni also plan to show up, while many others have shown their support for the demonstration.
On X, Dipke also announced the names of three spokespersons of CJP. Investigative journalist Saurav Das is the chief spokesperson while the other two are Vijeta Dahiya, author and filmmaker, and Ashutosh Ranka, an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and the London School of Economics who has worked at McKinsey & Company as Senior Associate in London.
New Delhi: After garnering support on the internet, the Cockroach Janta Party is now all set to make its debut on the ground. On Monday, founder Abhijeet Dipke announced that he will be coming to India on Saturday. He urged “cockroaches” to join him for a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak.
Here are 10 prominent names who have publicly claimed to be a “cockroach”, either by expressing support for the CJP or by actively associating themselves with the movement.
Abhijeet Dipke – The founder of CPJ, Dipke is from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra. He is currently based in the US, and holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. Dipke has worked with the Delhi government from 2020-2023 under CM Arvind Kejriwal. The 30-year-old has been actively writing against the administration on social media platforms. CPJ was also one of his posts on X that gained momentum on social media after CJI Surya Kant’s remark. Since then, he has garnered lakhs of followers on X and Instagram. Dipke has been called “fearless” by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee for protesting against the government in Delhi.
Saurav Das – The name rings a bell. Das entered the limelight after he wrote a long-form article on former CJI DY Chandrachud. In the article in The Caravan, titled ‘Performative Justice: The equivocations of DY Chandrachud’, he called Chandrachud’s judgments “performative”. Before this, he filed multiple RTIs to uncover discrepancies in government records. In recent years, he has written for The Wire and The Caravan, among other platforms. He actively posts on X against the administration, and on law, judiciary, and policy. With more than 90 thousands followers on X and nearly 60k followers on Instagram, Das has quite vociferously spoken when asked about the funding to CPJ at the press conference held on 4 June. Das said that they don’t need funding for “Rs 200 posters”.
Ashutosh Ranka- A part-time consultant and a full-time politician, Ranka is a former consultant, who has worked in different sectors, including healthcare, public sector, sustainability, chemicals, and construction sectors. He served as an associate fellow at Delhi government from 2019-2020. Ranka writes on education, frauds, and policies. On his Instagram, with nearly 14k followers, Ranke makes reels on policies, criticising BJP as well as Congress. He also runs Partivartan, which he describes as a “collective platform for anyone who wants to fight for change”.
Vijeta Dahiya- Identifying himself as poet, writer, and filmmaker, Dahiya has made political and social content on social media. He has nearly two lakh followers on Instagram. Dahiya has authored two books Power of Universe and To hell With That Job. He has also worked as a researcher and writer for Dhruv Rathee. He has directed two Haryanvi films — Dararein and Opri Paraai. Through his social media handles, he has often voiced his opinions against casteism in India and showed support for Bhim Army.
Sonam Wangchuk- Climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk, who was in jail for six months after protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh turned violent, will be joining the 6 June protest in Delhi. He will be landing in Delhi at 8:30 am on Saturday and will join Dipke. Wangchuk, who has been protesting against the administration for the past few years, was arrested on 26 September last year. He is the face of protests in Ladakh.
Prakash Raj- Producer, director, filmmaker, and actor Prakash Raj in a post on X has announced that he was “trying” to join the CJP protest on 6 June along with others. He also urged the youth to come in huge numbers. Raj has actively criticised the government. After the release of The Kerala Story 2, the actor took a jab at it by sharing photos of traditional beef dishes alongside pork and vegetarian meals, challenging the film’s narrative of religious divide. He has frequently criticised the BJP government on X. Starting from demonetisation and National Education Policy, Raj has been a vocal dissenter.
Also read: Cockroach party holds 1st press meet. Dharmendra Pradhan must quit for NEET, CBSE failures
Atul Kulkarni – Actor Atul Kulkarni too has come out in support of the CJP protest. In a post on X, he urged the young citizens to “reshape this country with integrity and with compassion”. He said that “tomorrow is an important day,” adding, “I place my hope in you”. Kulkarni has openly criticised the government, and has spoken against politics based on religion and majoritarianism. Kulkarni has also highlighted media biases and written a poem condemning vitriolic rhetoric used by politicians and the fragmented nature of Maharashtra’s political landscape.
Amulya Dhawan- A former intern with the government of Punjab, Dhawan is also a volunteer for the Cockroach Janta Party. She is currently pursuing political science and economics at Ashoka University. She passionately follows law, media, and how policy shapes society.
Ronak Khatri- NSUI activist and former DUSU president, Khatri is known as the “Matka Man”, who fought against the college administration for not cleaning the water coolers in the campus. In February this year, Delhi university withheld Khatri’s LLB degree and marksheets for allegedly not paying unpaid guesthouse and catering bills, amounting to Rs 9 lakh, incurred during his tenure.
Arpit Sharma- Since the beginning of CJP, content creator Arpit Sharma has shown solidarity with the party. Sharma, who claims to be close to Dipke, has openly criticised the Narendra Modi-led government. He has more than one lakh followers on X and nearly 1 million followers on Instagram.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)
