‘Free publicity’: CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke reacts to 30-foot cockroach effigy burnt at Delhi Ramlila

New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday thanked the organisers of a Ramlila event in Delhi for what he called “free publicity” after they announced plans to burn a 30-foot cockroach effigy alongside those of demon king Ravan and his relatives.

The organisers, however, said the cockroach symbolised filth and was intended to promote cleanliness under the Swachh Bharat and Swachh Delhi campaigns.

“Thank you for the free publicity,” Dipke said in a post on X, sharing a report about the effigy.

CJP legal head Ratna Singh also reacted to the development, describing it as “tamasha”. In another post, she said the move showed that the party had “done something right”.

“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,” Singh 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.

The 30-foot cockroach effigy was burnt alongside those of Ravan, his brother Kumbhkaran and son Meghnad at the DDA ground in Netaji Subhash Place, Pitampura, on Tuesday evening. The event, organised by the Shri Keshav Ram Leela Committee, drew a large crowd.

Committee president and BJP MLA from Model Town Ashok Goel Devaraha said the giant cockroach represented filth and unhygienic surroundings. He said the initiative aimed to raise awareness about related health problems, including allergies and asthma.

According to Devaraha, the committee burns an additional effigy representing a social issue every year alongside the traditional figures. In previous years, it has used symbolic effigies to highlight issues such as COVID-19, Naxalism and foreign goods.

The cockroach effigy has attracted attention amid a series of protests led by the CJP in the national capital this year.

The party's protest over the NEET paper leak was followed by the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in July. Over the past two weeks, the CJP has also led demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

PTI