Bhagwant Mann on CJP: Dipke Was Earlier in AAP

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has rejected allegations that the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), founded by Abhijeet Dipke, is a “B team” of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), while acknowledging that Dipke was previously associated with the party.

Speaking at India Today’s Panchayat event, Mann said Dipke had worked with AAP’s Social Media team before leaving the party and later moving to the United States. Mann maintained that the CJP was not associated with AAP and described the allegations as part of a broader pattern of political rivals trying to link the party with other political outfits.

Bhagwant Mann on Abhijeet Dipke and the CJP

The question of a possible connection between AAP and the CJP has gained attention since the satirical political outfit emerged more prominently on the political scene with protests over education and alleged examination paper leaks.

Addressing the issue, Mann acknowledged Dipke’s earlier association with AAP but drew a distinction between that past connection and the activities of the CJP.

“That boy Dipke was earlier in our party. He worked in our social media team and then left. Later, he went to America,” Mann said.

According to Mann, Dipke’s previous work for AAP did not mean that the party was behind the CJP or its political activities.

The chief minister also pushed back against the broader allegation that AAP functions as a proxy or “B team” for another political party. He said AAP had faced similar accusations in the past, with political opponents at different times attempting to associate it with both the Congress and the BJP.

“We are nobody’s B team or C team. We are the A team of 140 crore people of the country and 3.5 crore people of Punjab. We are on the side of the people of Punjab,” Mann said.

Why the CJP-AAP Connection Became a Talking Point

The speculation surrounding the CJP has partly emerged from the political backgrounds of several people associated with the organisation. Dipke himself worked with AAP’s social media team after joining the party in 2020, where he was involved in political communication that used humour and satire.

The CJP later developed a distinct identity through its focus on students, education and issues involving government schools. Those subjects have also been central to AAP’s political messaging, particularly in Punjab, adding to speculation about whether there was an organisational connection between the two.

However, the overlap in issues and the previous political affiliations of some CJP members do not by themselves establish that the outfit is controlled by AAP. Mann’s remarks focused on precisely that distinction: Dipke had worked with AAP in the past, but the party was not claiming responsibility for the CJP.

Education Became the CJP’s Main Political Plank

The Cockroach Janta Party initially emerged as an online satirical movement before expanding its activities around issues concerning students and education. Its campaigns increasingly brought the group into confrontation with the central government.

The organisation’s education-focused activism became particularly visible during protests over alleged examination paper leaks. The group argued that students and the education system were being affected by failures in the examination process and broader problems surrounding education administration.

In July, Dipke and his team led a student protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The demonstration subsequently became part of a wider political controversy involving the Union Education Ministry and the demand for accountability over education-related issues.

The CJP’s activities also allowed it to position itself as a pressure group rather than a conventional political party seeking power. Dipke has repeatedly described the organisation in those terms while rejecting allegations that it operates as a political proxy.

Several CJP Leaders Have Past AAP Associations

The debate over the CJP’s alleged links with AAP has also been driven by the political backgrounds of other people associated with the organisation.

According to the information surrounding the controversy, CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka had previously worked as an AAP volunteer in Rajasthan. Ajinkya Shinde, WHO holds an organisational role in the CJP, was also associated with the AAP youth wing.

These previous affiliations have been cited by political observers and opponents as evidence for their claims about a possible relationship between the two organisations. But the presence of former members or volunteers of one political organisation in another does not, on its own, demonstrate that the latter is operating under the former’s direction.

That distinction is central to the dispute. AAP’s position, as expressed by Mann, is that Dipke’s past association with the party is a matter of record but does not establish a connection between AAP and the CJP’s current activities.

Dipke Rejects the B-Team Allegation

Dipke has also rejected the claim that the CJP is a “B team” of AAP or the Congress.

He has argued that different political leaders have attempted to attach the organisation to different parties, depending on the issue being raised by the CJP. Rather than identifying itself with a conventional political party, Dipke has presented the CJP as a pressure group focused on students and education.

His position is that the organisation’s primary constituency is students rather than a particular political party or alliance. That explanation has remained at the centre of Dipke’s response whenever allegations about the CJP’s political affiliations have surfaced.

AAP Has Faced Similar “B-Team” Allegations Before

Mann used the controversy to point to what he described as a recurring pattern in the political debate surrounding AAP.

He said the party had previously been accused of being the “B team” of the Congress and, at other times, of the BJP. His argument was that such labels were being repeatedly applied by political opponents to explain AAP’s position or relationships with other political forces.

By rejecting the CJP allegation in the same context, Mann sought to emphasise that AAP considers itself an independent political organisation with its own political identity.

The statement also comes as Punjab’s political landscape remains closely watched ahead of the state’s next Assembly election cycle. Mann’s comments therefore place the CJP controversy within a broader political contest in which competing parties and emerging groups are attempting to establish their identities and influence.

Education Issues Remain at the Centre of the Dispute

One reason the CJP controversy has attracted attention is the overlap between its campaign themes and issues that have historically featured prominently in AAP’s political messaging.

Education, government schools and student concerns have been important subjects in AAP’s political narrative. The CJP’s decision to focus heavily on similar issues has therefore made it easier for critics to suggest a political connection.

At the same time, the CJP has used those issues to challenge the government and demand accountability. Its supporters have presented the organisation’s campaigns as an independent student-focused movement rather than an extension of an established political party.

The disagreement therefore involves two separate questions: whether individuals associated with the CJP previously worked with AAP, and whether those past associations prove that the CJP itself is politically controlled by AAP. The first point has been acknowledged by Mann, while the second remains disputed.

What Bhagwant Mann’s Statement Establishes

Mann’s remarks clarify AAP’s position on the controversy. He confirmed that Dipke had previously been part of AAP’s social media team but denied that this relationship establishes an organisational link between AAP and the CJP.

His comments also indicate that AAP does not accept the description of the CJP as its “B team”. Instead, Mann framed AAP as an independent political force and said the party’s political allegiance was to the people of Punjab and the country.

For the CJP, the controversy highlights the challenge faced by a newer political movement whose members may have backgrounds in established parties. Past affiliations can become a source of political scrutiny, particularly when a new organisation campaigns on issues that overlap with the agenda of an existing party.

For now, the dispute remains centred on competing claims. Mann has acknowledged Dipke’s past association with AAP while denying a party connection to the CJP. Dipke has separately rejected the B-team allegation and maintained that the organisation represents students and education-focused concerns.