The founder of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), Abhijeet Dipke, on Tuesday thanked the organisers of a Delhi Ramlila for what he described as “free publicity” after they announced plans to burn a 30-foot cockroach effigy alongside those of Ravan, Meghnad and Kumbhakarna at this year’s Dussehra celebrations in Pitampura.
“Thank you for the free publicity,” Dipke wrote in a social media post, reacting to the proposed effigy-burning, which has triggered a broader debate over the intersection of religious celebrations, political symbolism and social messaging.
The CJP’s legal head, Ratna Singh, also weighed in on the controversy, dismissing the development as a “tamasha” (drama). The party has been holding protests in the national capital, first demonstrating against former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan before joining demonstrations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The Shree Keshav Ram Leela Committee, which organises the annual event, has maintained that the cockroach effigy is intended to symbolise filth and dirt and to promote cleanliness under the Swachh Bharat and Swachh Delhi campaigns. Committee president and BJP MLA Ashok Goel has denied that the decision is politically motivated.
Goel said the committee’s effigy-burning tradition has previously been used to highlight social evils, with an effigy representing Naxalism burnt last year and one symbolising terrorism the year before.
The proposal, however, has drawn sharp criticism on social media, with users questioning whether contemporary political disputes should be brought into a religious festival traditionally associated with the triumph of good over evil. “Dussehra symbolises the victory of good over evil. Why turn this beautiful tradition into a platform for contemporary political rivalries?” one user wrote, urging people to ensure festivals unite communities rather than deepen divisions.
Another user argued that equating Ravan with a cockroach would not affect the CJP but could hurt Hindu sentiments. Others accused the organisers of politicising religion. “As a Hindu, this is very disrespectful to the religion and everything that I tend to follow in my life. They are politicising Hinduism and mixing things for their own benefit,” another user said.
Environmental concerns have also surfaced, with one social media user questioning the need to burn a large effigy when Delhi is already grappling with air pollution.
Goel has defended the initiative as part of the committee’s established practice of using effigies to represent social problems, reiterating that the cockroach symbol is meant to promote cleanliness. The debate, however, continues over whether the proposed display fits the religious occasion or risks turning a traditional festival into a platform for contemporary political and social disputes.
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/national/cjps-free-publicity-jibe-sharpens-row-over-30-ft-cockroach-effigy-at-delhi-ramlila-1620744
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Publish Date: 2026-10-20 15:27:00
