TMC leaders express support for CJP satirical digital movement, says Derek O’Brien

PTI, May 25, 2026, New Delhi :All India Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee have expressed full support for the satirical digital outfit Cockroach Janta Party, TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien said on Monday.

In a post on X, O’Brien said the TMC leadership remains focused on “fighting the good fight”.

“Purposive meetings all week with @mamataofficial and @abhishekaitc. Both focused on fighting the good fight. Steely resolve,” O’Brien said.

“Oh and they both expressed their fondness and full support for Cockroaches,” he added.

After the TMC’s defeat in the West Bengal polls, Banerjee has been holding a series of strategy and review meetings with senior leaders and legislators to assess the setback and chart the party’s future course.

Founded by Boston-based Abhijeet Dipke, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) took social media by storm soon after its launch on May 16, following a controversy over remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, which were widely interpreted as him likening unemployed youths to “cockroaches”.

According to the CJP website, which has reportedly been taken down by the government, a person needs to be “unemployed, lazy, chronically online” and should have the “ability to rant professionally” to become a member.

The digital outfit recently launched a campaign demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged systemic failures in the education sector and the NEET-UG 2026 paper “leak”.

On Saturday, Dipke alleged a crackdown on the movement, claiming that several of its social media accounts had become inaccessible. He also alleged that the group’s backup account was briefly taken down and that his personal Instagram account had been hacked.

The original X handle of the CJP was withheld in India on May 21, following which the group resurfaced with a new handle, ‘Cockroach is Back’, which has 2,27,000 members.

The movement has drawn attention for its unconventional symbolism and digital mobilisation strategy, with supporters describing the “cockroach” identity as a form of protest.