What Abhijeet Dipke Said About Lack of Female Spokesperson in Cockroach Janata Party? What CJP said regarding party's funding?
Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), has responded to criticism regarding the absence of any female names in the party's list of spokespersons.
On Wednesday, the CJP announced the names of its three spokespersons. The party has appointed investigative journalist Saurav Das as its Chief Spokesperson, while writer and filmmaker Vijeta Dahiya and IIT Kanpur alumnus Ashutosh Ranka have been assigned the responsibility of spokespersons.
Following this announcement, Priyanka Chaturvedi—a former Rajya Sabha MP from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction)—criticized the CJP for failing to appoint a woman as a spokesperson.
Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote on X: "So, the Cockroach Janata Party has launched with 100 percent male representation in the roles of founder, co-founder, and spokespersons."
She added, "I look forward to seeing what else unfolds."
Now, Abhijeet Dipke has responded to this criticism. He stated that the CJP's female members chose to work behind the scenes "due to the threats they were receiving online."
Dipke wrote on X: "We had offered to assign this role [of spokesperson] to the female members of our team; however, many of them expressed that—given the constant online attacks and threats—they would prefer to work actively from behind the scenes rather than stepping into the limelight."
He added, "We respect their decision."
Dipke also appealed to young women to join his movement.
He stated: "We would like to invite young women who wish to be a part of this movement—and who are willing to step forward as spokespersons—to join us."\
What CJP said regarding the party's funding
CJP's Chief Spokesperson, Sourav Das, has responded to a question regarding the party's funding.
CJP spokespersons held the party's first press conference on Wednesday. This press conference was related to the protest demonstration scheduled for June 6.
During the event, Sourav Das was asked a question concerning CJP's funding, to which he replied, "What exactly is the funding needed for?"
Pointing to a poster displayed behind him, he remarked, "This poster costs 200 rupees. So many people have gathered here; if everyone contributes just one rupee each, wouldn't that cover the cost of a 200-rupee poster?"
He continued, "If young people want to take to the streets—if they want to reach Jantar Mantar—can't they simply take an auto-rickshaw and pay 100 rupees to get there? We will make it there. What kind of funding is required for that?"
Sourav Das further added, "This is a counter-narrative that is being propagated. Regardless of the movement—and history bears witness to this—whenever a genuine movement emerges, a counter-narrative is invariably launched against it. Conspiracy theories are circulated. Allegations of 'funding' are raised, talk of a 'foreign hand' is introduced, and numerous stories are fabricated—all because that movement is on the right path."
He concluded by saying, "We have received the validation that this movement is indeed proceeding on the right path; that is precisely why such stories are being concocted."