Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das has peddled fake news after sharing an AI-generated image on his official X account, claiming that BJP spokesperson and advocate Gaurav Bhatia had called Swatantra Bharadwaj a ‘dimagi naxal’.
“Swatantra Bharadwaj is a ‘dimagi naxal’. He has the poison of casteism within him. The BJP has no connection with this individual,” the fake post read.
The same post was also shared by another CJP spokesperson, Ashutosh Ranka. Sharing Das’s post, Ranka wrote, “Paw paw has disowned the rowdy ones.”
The claim, however, was rejected by Bhatia, who termed the post fake and gave Das an ultimatum to delete it within 24 hours and issue an unconditional apology.
This is a fake post. You have 24 hours to delete and offer unconditional apology. https://t.co/ND6BR3nt52
— Gaurav Bhatia गौरव भाटिया 🇮🇳 (@gauravbhatiabjp) September 5, 2026
Warning Das, BJP shared a post and wrote, “This is a fake post. You have 24 hours to delete and offer unconditional apology”.
Saurav Das deletes post after Bhatia’s warning
Das later deleted the post and admitted that the image shared by him had been created using AI. Following the deletion, Bhatia responded on X and made it clear that simply removing the post would not be enough.
Bhatia wrote, “It took only 83 minutes for the post to be deleted. Unqualified apology remains. Tomorrow will be a day of FIR if no unqualified apology is tendered. Can’t spread propaganda and then just delete and run.”
It took only 83 minutes for the post to be deleted. Unqualified apology still remains. Tomorrow will be a day of FIR if no unqualified apology is tendered. Can't spread propaganda and then just delete and run. https://t.co/oTXLR6ZwKe
— Gaurav Bhatia गौरव भाटिया 🇮🇳 (@gauravbhatiabjp) September 5, 2026
The episode has now put the CJP spokespersons under scrutiny over the use of an AI-generated image to make a claim about a BJP leader. While Das deleted the post, Bhatia has demanded an unconditional apology and warned of an FIR if it is not issued.
Who is Swatantra Bharadwaj?
The controversy comes amid a separate row involving Swatantra Bharadwaj and the CJP. The Delhi Police on Friday, 4th September, detained Bharadwaj near Dhamra Nara village in Bulandshahr, hours after assuring a CJP delegation that he would be arrested within 72 hours.
Earlier, the Delhi Police had registered an FIR against Bharadwaj over allegations that he assaulted CJP activist Nishu Azad’s father, Sanjay Azad, during the CJP-led protests at Jantar Mantar in June. CJP leaders had demanded action against him under provisions related to attempt to murder and the SC/ST Act.
The controversy intensified after Bharadwaj claimed on a podcast that he had attacked Sanjay Azad. He later said that he acted in self-defence after being attacked by a mob of around 25–30 people.
A video that surfaced on social media also showed Bharadwaj being attacked by a group of people, with Delhi Police personnel trying to rescue him. Sanjay Azad, meanwhile, was heard in another video saying that the injury to his head was caused “unintentionally” and challenging Bharadwaj to a one-on-one confrontation.
