Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has opened up about his decision to return to India in a recent interview, saying he loves his country
but "not in the way this government expects me to." In an interview with CNN, Dipke said he was left heartbroken after the government labelled him a "national security threat" while he was studying in the US. Recalling how it began, Dipke said he had recently completed his master's degree when he saw a comment by the Chief Justice of India comparing youth to "cockroaches and parasites." He said he posted a tweet about the remark, which was widely shared and reposted. The attention prompted him to launch a parody political account called the Cockroach Janta Party. "I had just graduated and completed my master's, and I saw that the Chief Justice of India made a comment and compared the youth to cockroaches and parasites. And I just made a tweet on that. After that, the whole thing blew up. Everyone started reposting and resharing that tweet. After that, I launched a parody political account called Cockroach Janta Party. That satire party gained huge traction. But within 4 days, the Indian government banned the social media accounts on Twitter, calling me a national security threat," he said.
'I was heartbroken': Dipke
Dipke said the development deeply affected him, particularly because he was an Indian student living in the United States at the time.
"I was an international Indian student in the US and my government was calling me a threat. I was heartbroken that the government of my own country was calling me a national security threat," he said.
Explaining why he chose to return to India, Dipke said his decision was rooted in his sense of patriotism.
"I am a patriot and I love my country, just not in the way this government expects me to. But I do love my country," he said.
After helming the Jantar Mantar protests that led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the Cockroach Janta Party will now launch its 'School Thik Karo' campaign, aimed at improving infrastructure and accountability in rural government schools. The campaign will begin in Dipke's village in Hingoli district of Maharashtra on Independence Day.
