A nearly four-year-old social media post by Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke criticising Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra has resurfaced, triggering sharp questions about his political consistency as his youth movement seeks support from the Congress leader.
The post, published on September 8, 2022, described Gandhi’s cross-country campaign as destined to become “nothing more than a travel vlog”. It was written a day after the Congress launched the march from Kanyakumari, when the party was attempting to rebuild its organisation and present Gandhi as the principal challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Social media users have now circulated screenshots of Dipke’s remark while highlighting the CJP’s appeal to Gandhi and other political leaders to support its agitation over alleged examination irregularities. Critics accused Dipke of belittling Gandhi’s campaign when it began, only to seek his intervention after the CJP’s protest gained national attention.
The resurfaced comment has placed Dipke at the centre of an online debate over whether political activists should be judged by old statements or allowed to revise their views. Some users argued that criticism made in 2022 did not prevent him from seeking cross-party backing for a public cause. Others said the contrast exposed opportunism, particularly because CJP representatives had urged Gandhi to stand with protesting students.
The CJP wrote to leaders from both the government and opposition camps on July 9 and 10, asking them to visit its protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The invitations included Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, BJP leaders, regional party chiefs and members of Parliament.
The organisation said its campaign was not aligned with any political party and that it wanted leaders to unite over examination paper leaks, recruitment failures and student welfare. Its demands include the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and compensation of ₹1 crore for the families of students who died by suicide.
The online dispute intensified as climate activist Sonam Wangchuk continued an indefinite hunger strike linked to the agitation. His health has deteriorated during the protest, prompting political leaders and supporters to ask him to end the fast. Medical updates issued by organisers have described him as weak and under continuous observation.
Opposition figures, activists, academics and artists have visited or publicly supported the demonstration. Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal joined the protest and called for Pradhan’s removal, while other leaders contacted organisers to express concern about Wangchuk’s condition. The movement has also announced plans for a march towards Parliament on July 20.
Gandhi had not publicly responded to Dipke’s invitation or to the resurfaced post by Friday morning. The Congress has, however, repeatedly attacked the government over examination management, paper leaks, unemployment and delays in recruitment.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra began on September 7, 2022, and ended in Srinagar on January 30, 2023. Gandhi and other participants travelled more than 3,500 kilometres through 12 states and two Union territories. Congress presented the march as an effort to oppose social division, economic inequality and the concentration of political power.
The campaign helped Gandhi strengthen his public profile and deepen direct engagement with party workers and citizens. It was followed by the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in 2024, which travelled from Manipur to Mumbai before the Lok Sabha election.
Dipke founded the Cockroach Janta Party in May 2026 as a satirical youth platform that later developed into an organised protest movement. Its name reclaimed a derogatory description applied to unemployed young people during a public controversy. The group rapidly built a large digital following and focused its messaging on education, jobs and institutional accountability.
CJP describes itself as a pressure movement rather than a conventional electoral party. Dipke and its spokespersons have maintained that support is welcome from all political formations without conditions.
