For several days, ANI and multiple television channels ran with a storyline that a rebellion had broken out inside the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). 

Their source was one man, Manish Brahmbhatt, who, on September 3, announced he was breaking away to form a rival outfit called CJP(Democratic) or CJP(D). They treated it as a genuine internal crisis, but what most of them left out was who Manish Brahmbhatt actually is.

The announcement that became a headline

ANI uploaded Brahmbhatt’s launch event running for over 56 minutes to its YouTube channel on September 3. Within hours, clips of it were circulating across digital and television media. ANI itself cut a 13-minute clip titled, “CJP rebel Manish Brahmbhatt alleges AAP of funding Cockroach Janata Party & Dipke, announces split.”

A separate 2-minute-21-second soundbite captured Brahmbhatt’s central charge that the CJP’s core committee was taking directions from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and fighting the BJP “at Kejriwal’s behest” to help parties opposed to it.

ANI aired his claims repeatedly, each time framing them as proof of a split inside CJP – a notable development given that the same outlet did not broadcast a single clip on X of students being beaten, or their soundbites, during CJP’s march to Parliament on July 20.

What CJP says about Brahmbhatt

Speaking to Newslaundry, Saurav Das of the CJP said the way one particular individual was being highlighted to suggest a rift within CJP was part of the same campaign sections of the media had pursued to discredit the organisation during its Delhi protest.

Responding to the claim that Brahmbhatt was a founding member of CJP, Das said this was “completely incorrect”. He stated that Brahmbhatt had never been a founding member or part of the core committee and had never appeared on stage at a CJP event.

Das claimed that he and other members did meet Brahmbhatt when he visited Abhijeet Dipke’s residence in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in August. “Ashutosh (Ranka) and I listened to what he had to say, but he ended up creating a scene there as well,” he said.

Primetime amplification

Republic TV gave the story a full primetime slot on September 3. Its Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami introduced Brahmbhatt as a “key founding member” of the........

© newslaundry