Stories
Pune Poster Row: Pilot's Surname, Protest Party's Name Spark Insect-Themed Controversy
- •Posters in Pune featuring a flydubai jet, Captain Smit Machchhar, and the slogan ‘be a machchhar, not a cockroach’ have ignited a controversy, allegedly sponsored by BJP’s youth wing.
- •The posters mock Captain Machchhar's surname, which means mosquito in Hindi, and target the Cockroach Janta Party, a protest outfit formed after the CJI's ‘cockroach’ remark.
- •Captain Smit Machchhar gained public attention after his co-pilot allegedly attacked him mid-flight on September 30, with public figures praising his handling of the situation.
- •The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was launched online by Dipke in May, parodying the BJP, and has since led protests and campaigns like ‘School Thik Karo’ across several states.
- •The CJP plans a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over electoral roll issues, amidst allegations of planned arrests of leaders.
Key Questions Answered
Roadside banners in Pune allegedly put up by the BJP youth wing feature flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar and the slogan 'be a machchhar, not a cockroach'. The posters link Machchhar's surname, which means mosquito in Hindi, to the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical protest outfit launched earlier by Dipke.
The satirical political outfit was launched online in mid-May following a remark by CJI Surya Kant, who used the term cockroaches while referring to certain activists and unemployed youth. Although the Chief Justice later clarified he was misquoted, the label inspired the parody party name.
Launched on August 15, School Thik Karo involves citizen-led audits of government school infrastructure across six states. The campaign has successfully exposed severe infrastructure gaps, such as missing buildings and toilets in Rajasthan, though it has also faced police FIRs, surveys pushback, and friction in states like Maharashtra and West Bengal.
