Both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, 22 October 2026, alleged that the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was operating as a front organisation for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), amid the ongoing controversy over the burning of a cockroach effigy at a Ramlila event in Pitampura, Delhi on Tuesday. Both parties argued that the episode had inadvertently handed the CJP a platform rather than harming it politically.

How the Controversy Began

AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Lieutenant Governor and the Delhi Police Commissioner against the organisers of the Ramlila event, alleging that burning a cockroach effigy alongside traditional effigies had hurt religious sentiments. In his complaint, Bharadwaj sought the registration of an FIR against the Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee and its members, including Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, who served as the chief guest at the event.

The organisers, however, maintained that the effigy was intended solely to raise awareness about filth and health problems associated with cockroaches, rejecting any suggestion of religious offence.

Congress: CJP is 'Benefiting' from the Row

Congress leader Udit Raj alleged that rather than suffering reputational damage, the CJP had gained from the episode. 'They are benefiting from this. CJP is a proxy for the Aam Aadmi Party. This has only given CJP publicity. They may be saying one thing publicly, but privately, they must be happy,' Raj said.

Raj further claimed that several leaders associated with the CJP had roots in the AAP. 'All these leaders have emerged from the Aam Aadmi Party. They were significantly involved in what happened at Jantar Mantar. However, the young people who participated were not affiliated with any political party. Ninety-five per cent of the people who were there were those who were suffering because of the SSC paper leak and the NEET paper leak. They were ordinary people,' he added.

BJP: CJP Functions as AAP's Youth Wing

BJP national spokesperson R.P. Singh went further, directly characterising the CJP as a political instrument of the AAP. 'It has become clear that CJP is, in some way, the youth wing of the Aam Aadmi Party. When the cockroach effigy was burnt, a figure that society sees as a divisive force in the country, I do not understand why Saurabh Bharadwaj has a problem with it,' Singh said.

Broader Political Context

The allegations from two rival national parties converging on the same claim is notable — both Congress and BJP, despite their own deep differences, appear united in seeking to frame AAP as the orchestrator behind the CJP's actions. This comes amid an already heightened political environment in Delhi ahead of civic and assembly cycles, where fringe political formations often become proxies in larger contestations.

Notably, the CJP has not formally responded to the proxy allegations, and there is no independently verified organisational link between the CJP and the AAP as of the time of this report. The controversy now appears to have shifted from the effigy itself to questions about political motivations — and is likely to persist in Delhi's charged political discourse.