The New Indian Express ·
Odisha Literary Festival 2026: Opinions differ on CJP’s political links
BHUBANESWAR: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement was apolitical, said senior journalist and former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Ashutosh at the Odisha Literary Festival here on Saturday.
Attending a session on ‘Ideology vs Skepticism: What do Young People Believe’, moderated by journalist and author Ravi Shankar, Ashutosh reckoned that AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, who had publicly backed the movement, was not the face of the CJP. He, however, acknowledged that some CJP members had past affiliations with AAP.
“Usually, youths take the words of politicians with a pinch of salt, but they have complete faith in the judiciary. They were agitated after Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant’s cockroach remark. The movement then significantly escalated due to the frustration of youths over NEET paper leak and unemployment,” he said.
