'CJP Has Turned Into Team Kejriwal': Former CJP Worker Manish Brahmbhatt Launches Cockroach Janta Party-Democratic, Alleging Dipke Sidelined Activists and Volunteers

Key Points

ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2026, former Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) worker Manish Brahmbhatt launched a new party, Cockroach Janata Party-Democratic (CJP-D). This has become the first unusual split within the party and the first rebellion questioning Abhijeet Dipke and how he sidelined the protesters.

He alleged that after the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar against Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over paper leaks ended, founder Abhijeet Dipke started to sideline the protesters and turned the youth-led movement into ‘Team Kejriwal.’ He said that Dipke hand-picked a leader who was previously associated with the Aam Aadmi Party and that the only thing they want to do is oppose the BJP.

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What Allegations has Manish Brahmbhatt made Against CJP?

The CJP movement gained prominence in India, where students and others protested across the country over problems in the education system and demanded reforms, mainly calling for the resignation of the Education Minister. According to Brahmbhatt, the movement gained momentum because of public sentiment and how the CJP represented it, but he now claims that the party is focusing on a particular political party.

While announcing the formation of CJP-D, he also said that the original movement had been captured by those interested in serving the interests of Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). While speaking to news agency ANI, he said, “The reason for this launch is that the original Cockroach Janata Party team, which emerged from a movement built on the blood and sweat of the people, subsequently transformed itself solely into a hand-picked team for Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party.”

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He further said that the aim of CJP is to engage in political deals and not fight for the rights of students or people. Brahmbhatt said that the party is only interested in opposing the BJP to support parties that are anti-BJP, like Kejriwal’s AAP. Brahmbhatt’s main objection was towards the 12-member national team of CJP, which he said was created without consulting any members or volunteers who had participated in the movement.

Among these 12 members selected for the CJP team, eight have links with AAP, he said, adding that the people who worked in the movement are not represented in the CJP team. Dipke is the national convenor of the national working team that CJP announced, and Brahmbhatt said that people who were close to Dipke were selected for the core team.

Earlier, when the CJP announced a meeting of the core team at Dipke’s residence in August 2026, Brahmbhatt also travelled from Gujarat to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for the meeting. However, they were refused permission to be part of the meeting. He and his associate Rahul Pandya then protested outside his residence, alleging that active volunteers of the movement were excluded from the meeting.

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(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

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