Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the satirical political campaign 'Cockroach Janta Party' (CJP), has said he fears being arrested the moment he lands in Delhi.
Dipke, whose CJP has taken the internet by storm, is currently based in the US, where he studied public relations.
Dipke, 30, spoke to independent news platform Red Mike, where he said he plans to return to India next month.
"I just had my graduation day. I am planning to be back in India next month. And going by the pattern, I am sure that the moment I land at Delhi airport, I will be taken by Delhi Police and taken to Tihar," Dipke told Saurabh Shukla in the interview.
Dipke's remarks came soon after Cockroach Janta Party's X handle, with over 200,000 followers, was withheld on 21 May, five days after it was formed. The campaign created a new handle with a different name, 'Cockroach is Back', which has got about 144k followers within 24 hours.
'National security concerns'
The action against the earlier handle by the Union government came after the Intelligence Bureau (IB) raised "national security concerns", The Indian Express reported today, citing a senior government official.
According to the report, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) asked X to withhold the satirical accountunder Section 69 (A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The official added that the input to do so came from IB, as the central agency cited a threat to the sovereignty of India.
Section 69 (A) of the Information Technology Act empowers the Central government to direct intermediaries (such as internet service providers, social media platforms, and web hosts) to block public access to online information or websites.
The CJP campaign came in response to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, who, during oral observations, allegedly described young, unemployed Indians as 'cockroaches.'
The meteoric rise of satirical digital outfit CJP on social media has left the parents of its founder, overwhelmed by fears that he could land in trouble or even face arrest.
The outfit, now popular as CJP, has garnered over 19 million followers on Instagram since it was founded barely a week ago by Boston University student Dipke. Its Instagram follower count has already surpassed that of mainstream political parties, including the BJP and the Congress.
Parents lost sleep
Dipke's parents, Bhagwan and Anita Dipke, who live in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, told a Marathi news channel on 21 May that they were not keen on their son entering politics. They said they have lost their sleep after learning about his move.
Cockroach Janata Party, according to Dipke, was born out of a controversy over CJI Kant using the terms "parasites" and "cockroaches" while pulling up a lawyer for his plea seeking senior designation.
Even though the CJI later clarified that he had been misquoted and that his remarks were directed specifically at individuals entering the legal profession through "fake and bogus degrees", by then the CJP, with the insect as its symbol, had already taken the social media by storm.
"If we look at politics nowadays, fear is natural, no matter how many followers he has. In one of his interviews, he himself expressed fear of being arrested after returning to India. We read about such incidents in newspapers," said Bhagwan Dipke.
Abhijeet's mother, Anita, said she wanted her son to stay away from politics and instead focus on getting a job.
"We just want him to come home safely. Whether he continues in politics will be his decision, but we do not want him to pursue it. I do not know whether he will listen to us or not. I will not support him in this. I am worried about him," she told the channel.
Abhijeet Dipke has been facing casteist remarks on social media after he revealed he was a Dalit in a tweet on Thursday.
Stand on Dalit Issues
While there has been massive support for CJP, some users on social media asked whether it will remain satire or become a real political party. A user with the handle 'Shut Up Counsel' also raised questions on CJP's stand on Dalit issues.
An hour later, Dipke, who has been actively posting and replying to posts and reels on social media, said, "I am a Dalit myself. I hope that will answer all your questions.
BJP MP asks questions on funding
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Friday targeted Dipke over CJP, alleging that he is linked to the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party and questioned the funding behind his education in Boston, while also alleging possible foreign involvement.
In a post shared on X, Dubey accused the AAP of attempting to seek support from foreign entities through Dipke and questioned the alleged foreign funding behind his activities.
"Abhijeet Dipke is a worker of the Aam Aadmi Party, that is, of Arvind Kejriwal ji. Who funded his trip to Boston? Is the Soros Foundation covering the expenses for his stay and food? This is a warning for the opposition: Will you take help from foreign powers to break the country?" Dubey.
In the Red Mike interview, Dipke was asked a question about funding. "I want to tell those who think I have funding to please get me some so that I can pay my pending education loan," he said.
(With PTI inputs)