Anuvab Pal, an Indian standup comedian, has observed a new protest strategy among India's gen Z that relies on comedy and memes rather than traditional political sloganeering. The protests, which began over a leaked medical exam paper, saw the emergence of a satirical collective called the Cockroach Janata party.
From hunger strikes to viral memes
Pal notes that protests in India have long followed a predictable playbook dating from the Raj era: a hunger strike, gatherings, police violence, and a compromise. But the gen Z protesters at Delhi's Jantar Mantar surprised everyone. Instead of the usual chants or resistance, they targeted the government with witty, profane, and often funny memes, doctored videos, AI-generated content, and posters that went viral across Indian social media.
One video showed hundreds of students at a train station chanting, 'The prime minister is a thief.' A cartoon featured Modi being kissed by two billionaires. The artist defiantly signed his name. 'Rather than delivering another grave protest, gen Z began to entertain,' Pal writes.
Tech-savvy protesters
Pal highlights that despite India's young population being synonymous with technology, no tech giants foresaw that young people armed with smartphones would use their editing skills to unleash madness on Instagram and X. One popular theme linked Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with gen Z creating romcom mashups, AI slop showing Kim Jong Un hurling profanities at Modi, and appeals to Meloni not to date Modi.
At the protest site, young people uploaded reels next to policemen, soundtracked by Lana Del Rey's line 'everyone knows I'm a good girl, officer,' holding posters reading 'Arrest me daddy.' Pal calls this unprecedented in India.
Modi's response and the meme war
Modi released a selfie video about legitimate steps, but within minutes AI parodies showed him swearing at the education minister. Many believed it was real. Protesters then took a screenshot of Modi and played noughts and crosses on his disproportionately large forehead, creating another viral hit. Modi responded with another video with his head further from the camera; they mocked that too, showing him vanishing.
Government media channels accused foreign interference, but students responded with funny split-screen commentaries, turning a news segment into a Funny or Die video reminiscent of British satirist Michael Spicer. Two favorite clips were a fake George Soros speaking an Indian language and a protester pretending to call Xi Jinping to report the plan was going well. Overwhelmed by memes, the education minister resigned.
A new generation, a new approach
Pal reflects that older Indians were taught to worry about what others think, making comedy stifling but possible. Gen Z has proved they don't care, and are much funnier. A new education minister, Pralhad Joshi, was appointed. The first comment on the announcement read: 'Resign Pralhad Joshi.'
