The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), founded by activist Abhijeet Dipke, has announced a nationwide public outreach campaign titled “Kya Bolti Public?”, which is set to begin in September 2026. The initiative marks the organisation’s shift from leading recent student protests to undertaking a countrywide listening exercise focused on India’s youth.
According to Dipke, the campaign aims to engage students, unemployed youth, parents and citizens in conversations around education, employment, governance and their aspirations for the future.
Speaking after a two-day core committee meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, Dipke said the campaign is intended to give young people a platform to express their frustrations and expectations, arguing that their voices are often overlooked in political discourse despite India being one of the world’s youngest nations.
CJP has also announced a nationwide membership drive alongside the outreach, while reiterating that it does not intend to contest elections and instead plans to function as a public pressure group. The announcement, however, also saw dissent, with two individuals protesting outside the venue and alleging a lack of internal democracy within the organisation.
From Protest to Public Dialogue
The announcement comes weeks after CJP emerged at the forefront of nationwide student protests demanding education reforms and greater accountability over examination-related issues. Those demonstrations, which culminated in large gatherings at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, significantly expanded the organisation’s public profile and prompted it to broaden its focus beyond protest politics.
Addressing reporters after the party’s core committee meeting, Abhijeet Dipke said the next phase of the movement would focus on listening rather than leading. “Nobody asks young people what they expect, what problems they face or what dreams they have for the future,” he said while unveiling the “Kya Bolti Public?” campaign.
According to Dipke, the initiative will involve CJP leaders travelling across multiple states to interact with students, unemployed youth, parents and ordinary citizens to understand the issues they believe deserve national attention.
The organisation says the campaign will gather public feedback on a wide range of concerns, including affordable education, unemployment, governance, institutional accountability and the expectations young Indians have from policymakers. Rather than beginning with predetermined policy proposals, Dipke said the objective is to first understand what citizens themselves identify as the country’s most pressing challenges.
Education is expected to remain a central theme throughout the campaign. Dipke argued that rising school fees, expensive coaching institutes and the increasing commercialisation of education have made quality learning inaccessible for many families.
He maintained that education should remain a public good rather than becoming a privilege determined by economic status. Alongside education, unemployment has been identified as another key concern, with CJP stating that it wants to document the experiences of educated young people struggling to find meaningful employment despite years of academic preparation.
The organisation also announced a nationwide membership drive, saying enrolment would remain free for citizens who wish to participate in discussions on education reforms, employment and institutional accountability.
At the same time, Dipke clarified that CJP has no immediate plans to enter electoral politics, maintaining that the organisation intends to function as a pressure group capable of influencing public policy through citizen engagement rather than contesting elections.
Building on Student Movement
The “Kya Bolti Public?” campaign represents the latest chapter in CJP’s rapid rise from a student-led movement to a nationally recognised civic platform. The organisation gained prominence during recent protests over examination-related concerns, attracting thousands of students demanding greater transparency, accountability and reforms within the education system.
Those demonstrations helped bring issues such as affordable education, examination integrity and youth employment into the national spotlight. According to Dipke, the conversations held during those protests revealed a broader concern extending beyond examinations. He argued that many young Indians feel excluded from public decision-making despite forming a significant share of the country’s population.
Citing India’s demographic profile, Dipke said that with more than 65 per cent of citizens below the age of 35, public policy debates should more consistently reflect the priorities of younger generations. He questioned whether discussions around governance sufficiently address concerns such as education quality, career opportunities, affordability and employment.
The campaign is therefore being positioned as a nationwide listening exercise rather than a conventional political programme. CJP leaders are expected to travel to different states from September onward, conducting public interactions and collecting feedback that the organisation says will shape its future advocacy on education, employment and governance.
The announcement also highlighted that the organisation continues to face internal challenges. During the launch event, two individuals claiming to have participated in the earlier student movement staged a protest outside the venue, alleging that leadership positions within CJP were concentrated among individuals close to its founder. While the organisation did not announce any organisational changes in response to those allegations, the launch proceeded as planned.
The campaign has since generated discussion across traditional and social media, with supporters describing it as an attempt to convert protest energy into sustained public engagement, while others have questioned whether the initiative can translate public consultations into measurable policy outcomes.
As preparations begin for the September rollout, attention is likely to remain focused on how extensively the organisation engages with communities across different regions and whether the exercise produces tangible recommendations for policymakers.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
India’s young people are frequently described as the country’s greatest strength, yet many continue to express concerns over education, employment and opportunities to participate meaningfully in public life. Initiatives that encourage citizens particularly young people to share their experiences can contribute positively to democratic engagement, provided they remain inclusive, transparent and open to diverse viewpoints.
Listening exercises alone cannot solve systemic challenges, but they can become valuable starting points if the voices collected are translated into constructive dialogue and evidence-based policy recommendations.
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