Thousands of young Indians took to the streets of Delhi at the weekend for the first public protest of the Cockroach Janta party (CJP), a movement that began as an online joke but has rapidly become an unexpected challenge to the country’s rightwing government. The party, which draws its name from a comment by India’s chief justice comparing unemployed youth to cockroaches, has tapped into deep frustration over unemployment and a broken education system.
The CJP was founded by Abhijeet Dipke, a Boston University graduate living in the US, who was enraged by the chief justice’s remark. In a spur-of-the-moment social media post, he asked, “What if all cockroaches came together?” The overwhelming response led him to create a satirical party complete with a manifesto targeting the government. Within two weeks, the CJP’s Instagram page had over 22 million followers, far surpassing the ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP).
India’s youth face soaring unemployment, with almost 40% of graduates under 25 jobless, according to a recent study. Many feel let down by an education system that forces them into crippling debt for private tuition and subjects them to fiercely competitive exams. The stress has been linked to a rising number of suicides among students.
The movement gained further momentum after this year’s medical entrance exam, where over 2 million students competed for just 130,000 places, was leaked to the highest bidder and had to be scrapped. A core demand of Saturday’s protest was the resignation of the education minister. “We are the future of this country and they have the audacity to call us cockroaches,” said Mehima Fatima, a 26-year-old student at Delhi University.
Questions remain about whether the online phenomenon can translate into lasting political change. While the turnout of thousands was significant, it is a fraction of the millions who support the CJP online. Nonetheless, for many young Indians, the movement represents a rare outlet for dissent against a government notoriously intolerant of criticism.
