A 30-foot-tall cockroach effigy has been put up in Delhi’s Pitampura to be burnt alongside the traditional effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad on Dussehra. The move has drawn attention as a jibe at the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which has been protesting over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Shree Keshav Ramlila Committee, however, has said the effigy symbolises filth and dirt and is intended to promote cleanliness under the Swachh Bharat and Swachh Delhi campaigns. Committee president and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ashok Goel told news agency PTI that the decision was not politically motivated. He said the effigy was meant to reinforce the message of good triumphing over evil while highlighting the importance of cleanliness.
Goel said the committee had introduced additional effigies to highlight social issues in previous years as well. The organisers had earlier burnt effigies representing Naxalism and terrorism, he added.
“Our goal is to eliminate filth from three areas: our homes, our immediate surroundings and society at large,” Goel said.
Cockroach effigy amid CJP protests
The installation comes amid protests by the CJP in the national capital. The group initially staged demonstrations against former education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and has since joined protests demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
In June and July, CJP members staged a protest at Jantar Mantar for more than a month before marching towards Parliament on July 20. The group has since joined opposition parties and student organisations in demonstrations over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The protests have led to the detention of several activists, students and journalists in Delhi.
While the Ramlila committee has maintained that the cockroach effigy is intended to promote cleanliness, its installation has drawn attention amid the CJP’s recent demonstrations in the capital.
Social media users have questioned the appropriateness of introducing the effigy at a religious celebration, with some suggesting that the festival’s traditional significance is being mixed with contemporary political developments.
CJP members react to cockroach effigy
CJP members also reacted to the unusual effigy on X, despite the committee president’s assertion that the decision was not politically motivated.
CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke responded to a video shared by news agency ANI showing the cockroach effigy erected alongside those of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad, writing, “Thank you for the free publicity.”
Several users commenting on Dipke’s post linked the proposed burning of the cockroach effigy to the triumph of good over evil.
CJP legal head Ratna Singh also reacted to the installation, writing, “Tamasha Kara lo bas is desh mein” (Just keep putting on a spectacle in this country). Her post also drew trolling from social media users.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
