- The Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical online movement, has rapidly gained significant traction in India, serving as an outlet for millions of frustrated young people.
- The movement originated after Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant controversially compared some unemployed youth and activists to ' cockroaches ', remarks that were widely perceived as dismissive.
- Founded by Abhijeet Dipke, the CJP employs absurdist humour, memes, and mock campaign slogans to protest against issues such as corruption, joblessness, rising living costs, and government inefficiencies.
- The CJP's online presence experienced explosive growth, with its Instagram page quickly amassing over 15 million followers, significantly outnumbering Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governing party on the same platform, highlighting widespread youth frustration.
- Despite its online origins and some critics dismissing it as merely a digital campaign, the CJP has begun to manifest offline with volunteers participating in protests, and its X account was recently withheld in India, though a new one was promptly established.
IN FULL
The rise of the ‘cockroach’ party as angry residents turn to the insect to vent frustrations
