AAP and CJP: A Growing Political Alignment?
Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) once built much of its political identity around education, government schools and reforms aimed at improving opportunities for children and young people. But as the party’s political fortunes and public credibility have faced challenges, a new organisation has increasingly occupied that space: Abhijeet Dipke’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
The CJP has emerged through protests and campaigns focused on schools, education, examinations and youth issues. What is striking is the extent to which AAP leaders have supported and amplified these campaigns.
Rather than appearing to have lost its political “thunder” entirely, the AAP seems to be lending some of it to the CJP.
This is not an assessment of allegations that the CJP is an AAP “B-team”. Instead, the pattern of support from Kejriwal and other senior AAP leaders is the focus: defending CJP leaders, amplifying their social media campaigns and intervening when protesters claim they have faced intimidation or attacks.
Kejriwal Backs CJP Leaders
One of the clearest examples came after CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka alleged that he and his team were attacked while inspecting a government school in Rajasthan’s Jaipur district.
Ranka claimed stones were thrown, vehicle windows were smashed and members of his team were assaulted. He also accused Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar of being connected to the incident.
Kejriwal quickly amplified Ranka’s allegations on social media, questioning why people raising concerns about children’s education were allegedly being targeted.
The intervention was notable because education and school infrastructure were once at the heart of Kejriwal’s own political pitch.
AAP’s backing therefore gave the CJP access to a political narrative that the AAP itself had helped establish over the years.
15-Year-Old Girl’s Video Amplified
The latest example came on August 30, when the official AAP social media handle amplified a new video involving a 15-year-old girl who had earlier attracted attention after using abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a CJP protest at Jantar Mantar.
The girl later apologised, and Modi said he had forgiven her and other young people involved in similar remarks.
In the new video, she claimed that the controversy had made her life difficult. The AAP alleged that she had been targeted and threatened following the earlier incident.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh also shared the video and criticised what he described as the treatment of the teenager.
The speed with which AAP leaders responded helped push the issue to a much larger audience.
Dipke Also Gets Kejriwal’s Support
Kejriwal’s support for CJP has not been limited to Ranka.
On June 15, he condemned an alleged attack on CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke during a protest in Jaipur over the NEET-UG paper leak.
Dipke was reportedly slapped several times while CJP supporters carried him on their shoulders during the demonstration.
Kejriwal condemned the alleged violence and argued that disagreement with Dipke did not justify an attack.
The incident also created a political connection between the two groups, with both portraying themselves as facing opposition from forces associated with the BJP.
Sanjay Singh Regularly Amplifies CJP
AAP’s Sanjay Singh has been among the party’s most consistent voices in supporting CJP campaigns.
He has repeatedly shared Ranka’s posts and videos involving alleged attacks on CJP workers and concerns about government schools.
Singh has also criticised the BJP while presenting CJP activists as people fighting for children’s education.
His interventions have allowed CJP messages to reach the much larger audience associated with a national political party and a prominent parliamentarian.
AAP Takes CJP Issues to Police
The support has also moved beyond social media.
On July 28, Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj and party MLA Kuldeep Kumar approached Delhi Police over allegations that two minor boys returning from a CJP protest at Jantar Mantar had been assaulted.
Bharadwaj demanded action against the alleged attacker and raised concerns about the treatment of the children.
Days later, he also assured CJP protesters that the AAP would stand with them if they faced intimidation.
This suggested a deeper level of engagement than simply expressing political solidarity online.
Why Is AAP Supporting CJP?
Taken together, these incidents show a consistent pattern. AAP leaders have promoted CJP content, defended its leaders, responded to alleged attacks and taken up issues emerging from its protests.
The overlap is particularly interesting because schools, education and youth were once among AAP’s strongest political themes.
For the CJP, AAP’s support provides greater visibility and political recognition. For the AAP, supporting a youth-led movement allows it to re-enter a political space where it once had a strong identity.
Whether this develops into a formal political partnership remains unclear. But for now, the relationship is clearly visible: the CJP is organising protests and raising issues, while AAP leaders are helping amplify them.
The result is less about “stealing” political thunder and more about lending it—with Kejriwal and his party giving the CJP greater reach on the very issues that once defined the AAP’s own political brand.
