Indian politics has entered a new phase. We have had lotus politics, hand politics, broom politics, cycle politics, lantern politics and enough defections to start a furniture showroom. Now comes the newest entrant – the CJP.
Not one, but two. First came the US-based Abhijeet Dipke’s Cockroach Janta Party – a movement that appears to have scuttled its way into Gen Z timelines with remarkable speed.
Then, as nature intended, emerged the counter-force – Chappal Janta Party. Every cockroach, after all, eventually meets footwear democracy. The political ecosystem is finally complete.
The great cockroach awakening
The cockroach is perhaps the most underrated political symbol. It survives everything. Sprays? Survives. Gels? Survives. Nuclear apocalypse? Probably yes.
It survives every regime and adapts faster than politicians changing ideological homes. You spray it – it returns. You trap it – it returns. You think it is gone – it reappears at 2 am with relatives.
Dipke may have stumbled upon the most resilient political metaphor in existence. The cockroach does not seek power. It merely occupies space and refuses eviction.
Gen Z, with its love for absurdist humour, anti-establishment mascots and internet irony, appears to have embraced the idea. The Cockroach Janta Party has become less a party and more an internet species.
Dipke says his social media account has been taken down. Ironically, suppression only strengthens cockroach mythology. Anyone who has tried eliminating them knows the rule – remove one, and five emerge from undisclosed locations.
In my own household, relations with cockroaches have always been adversarial. We deploy chemicals, traps, stealth attacks and, when institutions fail, the chappal.
The humble slipper remains India’s original anti-corruption bureau. Yet the pests persist with coalition-era resilience.
The Dubai model
Dubai taught me an important lesson. Cockroaches do not believe in infrastructure limitations. Brand-new building? They arrive. Fresh paint? They arrive. New tenants? The welcome committee is already present.
There they had a famous species – the German cockroach. Before social media sleuths start drawing parallels, no, this has nothing to do with that Germany-based YouTuber who is affectionately called ‘German Shepherd’ in online circles.
Entomology and social media zoology are separate disciplines. The actual German cockroach merely invades kitchens. The digital version invades timelines.
Enter the chappal opposition
But democracy demands opposition. Thus arrives the Chappal Janta Party – representing the silent majority that believes some infestations require direct action.
No manifestos. No ideology. No committees. Just one symbol and immediate implementation. Its slogan practically writes itself: ‘If you see it, HIT it.’
The chappal, after all, is India’s original multi-purpose institution – footwear, disciplinary tool, protest symbol, emergency weapon and now apparently a political ideology.
The coming CJP showdown
Now let’s wait for the inevitable contest – Cockroach Janta Party versus Chappal Janta Party. One side campaigns for coexistence. The other campaigns for extermination. One promises survival. The other promises impact.
Personally, my vote remains with the latter. I have never managed peaceful coexistence with cockroaches. I have tried sprays, gels, traps and finally the timeless Indian technology called chappal diplomacy.
[Disclaimer: No cockroaches were harmed in writing this piece. Any resemblance to persons living, leaving, or scuttling is purely coincidental.]
