New Delhi: Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Thursday declared himself an "honorary cockroach," firmly rejecting Ladakh Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena's assertion that he was uncertain about the origins of the online Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement. The remarks came in response to a post by Saxena on X following a meeting with Wangchuk and his wife, HIAL co-founder Gitanjali J Angmo.
LG's Post Sparks Controversy
In his Tuesday post, Saxena claimed he had cautioned Wangchuk against "weaving a misleading and provocative narrative" and that the activist admitted comparing Ladakh with Manipur was an "error of judgment." The LG also stated Wangchuk was unsure about CJP's origins and would "study the motivations of its founders and revisit his stand, if necessary."
Wangchuk's Rebuttal
Wangchuk dismissed these claims, describing the meeting as cordial and not reflective of the LG's public tone. "The LG Ladakh invited us for tea. We spent nearly an hour in a friendly atmosphere discussing his initiatives, our work, and collaboration possibilities," he told PTI. He said the discussion touched on his Manipur comparison and CJP support, but there was no warning or reprimand. "One hour after we left, we were surprised to see his tweet, as if he had censured us," Wangchuk added.
He suggested the public messaging might aim to satisfy political expectations elsewhere. "I thought this was to please some boss in Delhi who instructed him to call me, but the meeting was nothing like that—only the tweet was," he said. Wangchuk deliberately refrained from immediate reaction to what he called "childish behavior," responding only on the third day after media coverage.
Stand on Manipur Comparison
Wangchuk also rejected the LG's claim about the Manipur analogy, asserting he never termed it an "error of judgment." "I still totally stand by it. I only said the example was 'avoidable' in the current context. Avoidable is very different from an error of judgment," he explained.
Support for Cockroach Janta Party
The activist, against whom the National Security Act was invoked, strongly disputed that he distanced himself from CJP. He said Saxena alleged the group was influenced or funded by foreign entities like the Soros Foundation, Pakistan, and Bangladesh—allegations Wangchuk neither accepted nor endorsed. "Inside me, I was laughing at this story he told the person jailed under NSA with exactly such stories," Wangchuk remarked.
He told the LG that governments should not feel insecure about such expressions but engage with concerns. "I'm a huge admirer of the Cockroach Party, and I remain the same. I stand by what I said—I am an honorary cockroach and support it," Wangchuk affirmed. He added that he only expressed willingness to examine evidence about CJP's origins, stressing openness to information should not be seen as withdrawal of support.
Appeal to Founder
Wangchuk appealed to CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, whom he called "cockroach-in-chief," to publicly share audience data and financial details. Dipke had earlier rejected allegations of substantial foreign backing, sharing analytics showing over 94% of the audience from India. Wangchuk said the data should be placed before the public. "If it is an Indian youth initiative with foreign following, I become an even bigger admirer. Even if 70% are from India and the rest spread globally, it makes India a vishvaguru in creative protests," he remarked.
Background
In his post, Saxena said both sides agreed to maintain "an air of positivity" in Ladakh, cautioning that prolonged protests could affect tourism and economic activity. The remarks came after talks between Ladakh representatives and a Ministry of Home Affairs sub-committee. Wangchuk had earlier expressed fears of Ladakh heading toward divisions similar to Manipur before the recent talks improved the atmosphere.
