'Full support for cockroaches': Mamata Banerjee 'expressed fondness' for CJP

NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee have expressed "fondness and full support" for the satirical digital collective Cockroach Janta Party, TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien said on Monday.In a post on X, O'Brien said both leaders remained focused on "fighting the good fight" amid a series of internal review meetings following the TMC's defeat in the West Bengal assembly polls."Purposive meetings all week with @mamataofficial and @abhishekaitc. Both focused on fighting the good fight. Steely resolve," O'Brien wrote. "Oh and they both expressed their fondness and full support for Cockroaches."The Cockroach Janta Party was founded by Boston-based Abhijeet Dipke and launched on May 16. The movement emerged following controversy over remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, which were widely interpreted online as comparing unemployed youths to "cockroaches".According to the CJP website — which was later taken down by authorities — membership required applicants to be "unemployed, lazy, chronically online" and capable of "ranting professionally".The group adopted the "cockroach" symbol as a form of digital protest and quickly built a strong online following through satire and meme-driven mobilisation.The CJP recently launched a campaign demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over 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 suspended and that his personal Instagram account had been hacked.The outfit's original X handle was withheld in India on May 21. It later resurfaced with a new account, "Cockroach is Back", which has amassed over 2.27 lakh followers.The movement has drawn attention for its unconventional symbolism and digital mobilisation strategy, with supporters describing the "cockroach" identity as a form of protest.