Organisers say the 30-foot figure stood for filth and promoted cleanliness; Abhijeet Dipke and Kapil Mishra trade sharp words
New Delhi: A 30-foot cockroach effigy was burnt alongside those of Ravan, Kumbhkaran and Meghnad during Dussehra celebrations at Netaji Subhash Place in Delhi on Tuesday. The move drew strong reactions from leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and started a debate on social media.
Why the Effigy Was Burnt
The effigy was set on fire at the DDA ground in Netaji Subhash Place, Pitampura, along with the figures of Ravan, his brother Kumbhkaran and his son Meghnad. The event was organised by the Shri Keshav Ram Leela Committee and drew a large crowd.
Committee president Ashok Goel Devaraha, a BJP MLA from Model Town, said the cockroach stood for filth and unhygienic surroundings. He said the aim was to spread awareness about related health problems such as allergies and asthma.
The committee said the effigy was part of its push for cleanliness under the Swachh Bharat and Swachh Delhi campaigns. Devaraha added that every year the committee burns one extra effigy to represent a social problem. He named earlier examples linked to COVID-19, Naxalism and foreign goods.
CJP Hits Back
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke responded by sharing a clip from the film Swades. It features a line from a song which says that a person who casts Ravan out of his own mind finds Ram living there.
In another post, she said the incident showed the CJP had “done something right.” She said burning a cockroach effigy on Dussehra only showed how rattled the ruling party was. “Good to know we are making enough of an impact for you to see us as competition,” she said.
She also took a dig at the party’s online team. “Give your IT cell some time off as well. You must be tired after all this (useless) hard work,” the post said.
Kapil Mishra Responds
The matter also reached the political arena after AAP complained about the effigy. Delhi minister Kapil Mishra reacted by saying the figure being burnt was a cockroach, yet it was the “termites,” which he called the political termites of the nation, who were feeling the pain.
He added that the public has its own “pesticide” to deal with them. According to him, a cockroach is a symbol of filth and chaos, and people want such effigies burnt. He said that just as anti-national forces emerge, their defeat in India is certain.
What Next
The organisers say the effigy was only about cleanliness, while the CJP sees it as a sign of political nervousness. The debate is still going on social media, and neither side appears ready to back down.
