Cockroach Janta Party: India's youth turn judge's jab into viral political movement

Cockroach Janta Party: India's youth turn judge's jab into viral political movement Asia / Pacific

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05:46

Issued on: 27/05/2026 - 19:47Modified: 27/05/2026 - 19:48

05:46 min Share From the show Reading time 2 min

A satirical political movement has gone viral amongst India's youth with an unusual mascot at the helm: the cockroach. The Cockroach Janta Party was born after India's chief justice referred to unemployed youth as "cockroaches". Though he later said he was misquoted, his comments ricocheted online. As outrage escalated, 30-year-old Abhijeet Dipke asked: "What if all cockroaches come together?" The online satirical movement now has nearly 23 million Instagram followers and counting.

Within hours of posting his tongue-in-cheek comment online, public relations student Dipke found that thousands of young people frustrated at the judge's remarks had signed up to his satirical form about a movement, inspiring him to take it further. 

The CJP leans heavily into self-mockery, using memes, jokes and AI-generated content that carries an undercurrent of youth frustration. According to a recent report by Azim Premji University, nearly 40 percent of graduates aged 25 and younger are unemployed.

Beyond the satire, the movement has issued substantiative policy demands, calling for protection of legitimate votes, 50 percent representation for women and a free independent press in its five-point agenda.

But the movement – and its momentum – has not come without pushback. Dipke told FRANCE 24 on Sunday that he and the movement have faced resistance, with both the official and his personal Instagram accounts having been hacked, its X account withheld in India, the CJP's website being removed (it is since back online) as well as online abuse and harassment.

Watch moreWhat next for India's Cockroach Party?

There's also been accusations that the majority of the Cockroach Janta Party's 22 million followers are bots or accounts from Pakistan. He told FRANCE 24 these allegations were false, and that he'd shared a screen recording of the account's demographics online showing that 94 percent of the followers are Indian.

So what's next for the party? According to its founder, although the movement began out of satire, the goal is for it to become a voice for dialogue with India's youth. He says the Cockroach Janta Party will make its next move after hearing out the concerns of all the millions of people who pledged their support. 

Vedika Bahl goes through the movement's origins and what the founder told FRANCE 24, in Truth or Fake.

By: Vedika BAHL Advertising Related keywords

• India
• satire
• Narendra Modi
• Social media
• corruption
• youth
• Gen Z
• protest
• X (formerly Twitter)
• 'fake news'
• Explainer
• Instagram
• democracy
• Freedom of the press
• Internet