New Delhi, Oct 20: Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, on Tuesday, thanked the organisers of a Delhi Ramlila event for what he called “free publicity” after they announced plans to burn a 30-foot cockroach effigy alongside those of Ravan, Meghnad and Kumbhakarna.
“Thank you for the free publicity,” Dipke said in a social media post, reacting to the proposed effigy-burning, which has triggered a debate over the intersection of religious celebrations, political symbolism and social messaging.
CJP legal head Ratna Singh also weighed in on the controversy, describing the development as a “tamasha” (drama).
The Shree Keshav Ram Leela Committee, which organises the annual event in Pitampura, has maintained that the cockroach effigy is intended to symbolise filth and dirt and 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.
He said the annual 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 controversy comes amid protests by the CJP in the national capital. The group initially demonstrated against former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan before joining protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The proposed effigy has also drawn criticism on social media, with users questioning whether contemporary political disputes should be brought into a religious celebration 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. The committee maintains that the cockroach symbol is intended 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.
PTI