'Thank You For Free Publicity': Abhijeet Dipke On Cockroach Effigy In Delhi

For Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-foot cockroach effigy, seen on social media as a slight at the Cockroach Janta Party, was little more than free publicity for his pressure group, which is currently up in arms against the Central government over its demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.

On Dussehra, the huge cardboard cockroach stood alongside Ravana, Meghnad, and Kumbhakarna effigies -- all waiting to go up in flames, representing the victory of good over evil. While the Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee in Pitampura maintained that the cockroach symbolised filth and that it sought to promote cleanliness under the Swachh Bharat and Swachh Delhi campaigns, both the internet and Dipke were convinced it was a dig at the pressure group he had founded on Instagram.

"Thank you for the free publicity," he wrote on X, sharing a video of the cardboard cockroach.

CJP legal head Ratna Singh also reacted to the development on X, describing it as a "tamasha".

"Burning a cockroach effigy on Dussehra only shows how rattled the ruling party is... Good to know we are making enough of an impact for you to see us as competition," she said.

"Clearly, we are doing something right. Give your IT cell some time off as well. You must be tired after all this (useless) hard work," she added.

On Tuesday evening, the 30-ft cockroach effigy burned alongside those of Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna, and son Meghnad at the DDA ground in Netaji Subhash Place.

BJP's Model Town MLA Ashok Goel Devraha, who is also the president of the committee, said the effigy represented a social problem.

"The burning of the cockroach effigy this year was aimed at raising awareness about filth and the health problems associated with it," he said, adding that cockroaches are associated with unhygienic conditions and can contribute to problems such as allergies and asthma.

He claimed the cockroach was not intended as a dig at any individual, political party, institution, or organisation.

Several BJP leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Arun Singh, Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Delhi unit president Kapil Khanna, attended the event.

Dipke has been in and out of detention this month because of the pressure group's agitation, which the Delhi Police intends to scuttle.

Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka, the group's spokesperson, have been in jail since October 13 for violating a peace bond they had signed with the authorities. On Monday, their five-day judicial custody was extended by two days.

"And I am sure that things are as difficult for all of you as they are for Saurav and Ashu (Ashutosh Ranka). I have seen how many volunteers have been beaten up on the streets and been detained. But it is more difficult for our families than for us. So now I request all my cockroaches: Spend time with your families for a few days. Festivals are around the corner," the CJP founder said in a video.