Abhijit Deepake, the founder of the 'Cockroach Janata Party' (CJP), has traveled from Boston, USA, to Delhi to lead a protest at Jantar Mantar. He is set to arrive at Delhi Airport on Saturday morning and proceed to Parliament Street Police Station to seek permission for the protest. Sonam Wangchuk, a Magsaysay Award-winning educationist and activist from Ladakh, will join him.
The protest aims to address issues such as leaked exam papers, student distress, and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The CJP, which emerged in response to a Supreme Court remark comparing unemployed youth to 'cockroaches', has gained significant traction on social media since its launch on May 16.
Despite facing threats and website blockages in India, Abhijit announced his return. Initially, he called for supporters to meet him at the airport, but later changed his mind due to overwhelming response and concerns about potential disruptions and opposition attempts to discredit the movement.
The Delhi Police's decision on allowing the gathering remains uncertain. Other notable figures, including filmmakers Anurag Kashyap and Kunal Kohli, actresses Konkona Sen Sharma, Dia Mirza, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Esha Gupta, comedian Kunal Kamra, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, and former cricketer Kirti Azad, have expressed support for the movement.
The CJP has appointed three spokespersons: investigative journalist Saurabh Das, author and filmmaker Vijeta Dahiya, and former McKinsey employee and AAP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka. Abhijit was previously associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from 2020 to 2023, serving as a volunteer in their social media team and playing a significant role in their digital campaign for the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections.
