India’s political history has repeatedly shown that street protests can become powerful launchpads for political careers. After all, we have the example of Arvind Kejriwal. Many people ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha elections even hailed him a potential Prime Minister, and his subordinates as Chief Minister. Alas, if it was so easy.
The anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare in 2011 began as a popular agitation against corruption, and eventually gave rise to the Aam Aadmi Party and brought Arvind Kejriwal to the centre of national politics.
Watching the recent protests by the so-called Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, inevitably brings back memories of that period. The political circumstances are obviously different, but the playbook appears familiar- Take an issue that can attract public attention, mobilise supporters on the streets, create a sense of confrontation with the establishment and use the resulting visibility to build a political narrative. It was Kejriwal back then, it is Abhijeet Dipke now.
The Anna movement succeeded because it tapped into genuine public anger. Its anti-corruption message resonated across cities, particularly among a young generation frustrated with the political establishment. Kejriwal and several other activists emerged from that movement with enormous political visibility.
The question now is whether the CJP protest is attempting to recreate the same template. The challenge, however, is that political movements cannot simply manufacture the public momentum that the Anna agitation generated. A protest needs a genuine connect with ordinary citizens. Without widespread participation, a street demonstration can quickly appear more like a political performance than a mass movement.
This is where the role of Rahul Gandhi becomes interesting. Over the past few years, the Congress leader has increasingly relied on street mobilisation, padyatras and direct public campaigns to challenge the ruling establishment. His Bharat Jodo Yatra and subsequent political outreach demonstrated an understanding that electoral politics is not fought only inside Parliament or through social media.
But history also offers a warning- A protest can create visibility, but only genuine public support can turn visibility into lasting political power.
