NEW DELHI: As the viral Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) continues to gain traction online, the BJP on Saturday alleged that almost half of the outfit’s social media support was originating from Pakistan and less than 10% was from India.Speaking to reporters, union minister Sukanta Majumdar claimed, “49 per cent followers of ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ on social media are from Pakistan, while only 9 per cent are from India.”The BJP’s remarks came amid growing political controversy surrounding the digital campaign, which emerged last week and rapidly went viral through memes and commentary targeting issues such as unemployment, education policy and alleged examination paper leaks.Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar also accused the CJP of being part of a ‘classic cross-border influence operation’ aimed at destabilising India and targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government.“In the age of social media, bots, AI and its weaponisation, influence operations are dangerous, effective ways to destabilise by building fake, seemingly organic narratives,” Chandrasekhar said in a post on X.He alleged that sections of the opposition were amplifying the campaign and argued that India’s rise under PM Modi had triggered resentment among ‘foreign vested interests’.“I have always maintained India’s rise and its modernisation under PM Narendra Modi will be resented by many countries, and there will be many hurdles created for our continued rise,” he said.The BJP leader further asserted that despite global crises ranging from the Covid-19 pandemic to geopolitical conflicts and economic disruptions, the Modi government had kept India ‘safe and resilient’.“No cockroach, no petty Indian opposition politician, no Modi-hating joker, no foreign vested interest can stop India’s resolve to build a Viksit Bharat,” he added.The ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ trend emerged following controversy around remarks allegedly made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a hearing on a plea seeking senior designation for a lawyer.CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke alleged that the movement was facing coordinated action across platforms.“Instagram page hacked. My personal Instagram hacked. Twitter account withheld. Back-up account also taken down,” Dipke claimed in a post on X, adding that the group no longer had access to any of its official handles.The organisation had recently launched an online campaign demanding union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged systemic failures in the education sector and the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy.Dipke also claimed he had received death threats following the campaign and alleged that instead of action against those responsible for examination irregularities, authorities were targeting the satirical movement itself.The digital outfit’s website was also taken down during the crackdown.According to posts shared through backup handles, the movement claimed to have crossed ‘one million registered Cockroaches’ within a week, while its Instagram presence had amassed millions of followers before access was lost.
