From memes to political movement, India's 'Cockroach' party leads youth revolt

Protesters have been camping out day and night beneath the trees at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi's best-known protest site, despite a ban by authorities. Many are wearing cockroach masks and carrying placards inspired by satirical internet memes, and carrying copies of the Indian constitution.

A few weeks earlier, nothing suggested those memes would grow into such a movement.

Most of the protesters are students or recent graduates protesting against unemployment and alleged fraud in medical college entrance exams. 

"There are no more opportunities for young people," Devika, who was attending her second rally, told RFI. "We are worried about the future of Generation Z. Our fight is a fight against corruption."

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From Instagram to the streets

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) was launched on 16 May by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old communications specialist educated at Boston University.

Based in the United States, he was reacting to comments by India's chief justice, who compared unemployed young people to "cockroaches" and "parasites". Shocked, he decided to turn the insult back on its author.

"We created this party as satire," Dipke said. It quickly exceeded every expectation.

Within four days, its Instagram account drew almost 10 million followers. Within a few weeks it had reached 22 million, overtaking the account of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"That made me realise the enormous frustration among young people over unemployment and the fraud that tainted the medical entrance exam," Dipke said.

The movement quickly spread beyond social media. Abhijeet Dipke, 30, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party. He says the movement is ready to protest for as long as necessary after its rapid rise on social media.

Dipke returned to India at the end of May and organised seven rallies across six states and territories before returning to Delhi, where supporters decided to occupy Jantar Mantar.

Psychiatrist Rajendra Prasad, who attended the first rally, said the movement's spontaneous nature stood out. "No one brought them here," he said. "They came by themselves."

However, Prasad also questioned whether it could survive without clearly identified leadership.

This concern is echoed by other observers. Nandita Narain, a former professor at Delhi University and president of the Federation of Central Universities Teachers Associations (Fedcuta), said she had not seen student mobilisation on this scale for several years.

"These young people rise above political loyalties," Narain said. "Many probably come from families that support the government. They have little experience and everything seems improvised, but they are expressing real anger and, above all, they are beginning to overcome their fear."

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Political ambitions

While the CJP had succeeded in capturing the anger of part of India's educated youth, it still lacked a clear ideological foundation, said Mehina Fatima, a researcher at Delhi University.

"The question is where it will be in five years," she said.

Dipke rejected that assessment.
"Our ideology is based on secularism, social justice and the constitution," he argued. "We draw inspiration from Ambedkar, Gandhi and Nehru."

Those references to India's founding figures mark a change for a movement that only weeks earlier was an Instagram account parodying official posters, government slogans and AI-generated images.

Its organisers now openly say they have political ambitions and have taken their campaign into public spaces.

However the movement remains highly decentralised. Decisions are made through online discussions that students join and leave freely. Meanwhile teachers, doctors and retirees supporting the protests do not always speak with one voice.

That flexibility appeals to young people who distrust traditional political parties, but it is also seen as the movement's greatest weakness.

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Uncertain future

Even its name remains a joke. Asked why it was called Cockroach Janata Party – with the CJP initials echoing those of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party – Dipke smiled.

"It was a satire," he told RFI. "A wink at the ruling party."

Dipke insisted, however, that the CJP was more than just a communications exercise.

"Everything we do is political," he said. "If we stop doing politics, then the government is no longer held accountable."

Five weeks after its creation, the Cockroach Janata Party remains difficult to define. Its rapid rise has exposed deep frustration among young Indians, but its political future remains uncertain.

This article has been adapted from the original version in French by Abdoollah Earally