Mamata Banerjee threw her political weight behind the Cockroach Janta Party on Friday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Speaking to reporters at Kolkata airport after returning from an INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi, the former Chief Minister declared her 'full support' for the CJP and the young generation. "Please stop these atrocities," she said, framing the election board's actions as direct harm to students.
This is not her first intervention in the CJP's orbit. In August, Banerjee had already extended support to the group's protest in Delhi over alleged irregularities in the NEET medical entrance exam. By aligning with the controversial 'Cockroach' branding, she has moved to deepen the TMC's association with the student-led agitation against the Election Commission.
The fallout began almost immediately. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke took to X on Saturday to thank Banerjee, writing: "Thank you Mamata Banerjee ma'am for extending your support... All Indians need to come together to save democracy!" TMC Rajya Sabha joint secretary Derek O'Brien shared the post. Within hours, the content vanished. X displayed a message stating, "Due to local regulations, this content is restricted."
Dipke did not wait for an official explanation. He predicted his entire X handle would be taken down before October 10. O'Brien, reacting to the restriction, accused a "scared" government of silencing the movement. The platform's sudden enforcement of local regulations on a political post has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition, who view it as a suppression of dissent against the election authorities.