A satirical online movement dubbed the “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) has rapidly gained attention in India, transforming a controversial remark into a wider expression of youth frustration and political discontent.

The movement emerged after India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly compared unemployed youth drifting toward journalism and activism to “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a court hearing. Although he later clarified that the remarks referred specifically to individuals with “fake and bogus degrees,” the comments had already sparked widespread reaction online.

The backlash soon evolved into a social media phenomenon, with thousands embracing the label under the slogan #MainBhiCockroach (“I too am a cockroach”).

The CJP is not a formal political party but an online collective built around satire. Its membership criteria humorously include being unemployed, lazy, chronically online and having “the ability to rant professionally.”

The initiative was launched by Abhijeet Dipke, a political communications strategist and student at Boston University, who said the idea started as a joke.

Within days, the movement attracted tens of thousands of sign-ups through online forms and drew support from opposition figures including Mahua Moitra, Kirti Azad and lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

The movement has also moved beyond social media, with volunteers reportedly appearing at protests and public events dressed as cockroaches.

The CJP’s Instagram account crossed 10 million followers on Thursday, surpassing the official Instagram account of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has around 8.7 million followers.

However, its X account, which had gained over 200,000 followers, is reportedly no longer visible in India and displays a notice saying it was withheld “in response to a legal demand.”

Supporters describe the movement as a fresh alternative in a political environment many young people see as increasingly controlled and disconnected from their concerns, while critics argue it amounts to carefully packaged opposition-driven digital politics.

The development has also reignited discussions on youth engagement in India, where nearly half of the country’s 1.4 billion people are under the age of 30 but formal political participation among young people remains relatively low.

According to a recent survey cited by the BBC, 29% of young Indians avoid political participation altogether, while only 11% belong to a political party.

The BBC reported that many observers see the movement as reflecting a broader sense of frustration among young people facing concerns over jobs, economic pressures and representation. (Newswire/BBC)

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