New Delhi: What began as a satirical political movement after Chief Justice Surya Kant’s comments – likening the country’s unemployed youths to “cockroaches” – exploded on the internet, has catapulted into a full-fledged parody political party with the insect as its symbol. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leveraged absurdist humour and online indignation into protest, using memes, short videos, carousels and a five-point manifesto to mock the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) acquiescence of and complicity in prevailing national crises, such as corruption, joblessness and political dysfunction.In the wake of the CJI’s comments and subsequent criticism, millions of users took to the Internet to embrace the cockroach as a symbol of perseverance in the face of harsh conditions. CJP set up its social media accounts on May 16, 2026, quickly amassing over 22.5 million followers on its Instagram page in the span of a week, far bypassing BJP’s 9.3 million followers.The movement has not gone unnoticed internationally. Global news outlets like CNN, BBC, Associated Press, Forbes, Al Jazeera and The Guardian have covered the CJP extensively, with many interviewing Abhijeet Dipke, a political strategist studying at the Boston University, who founded the party. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeetdipke)A party built overnight by a PR studentDipke told Live Mint, “I have not slept for the last three days. I never imagined a joke would become such a big thing on the internet.” A google form shared by him on X, with the description: “If you wish to join, hit the link below. Eligibility criteria: unemployed, lazy, chronically online, ability to rant professionally,” gained more than 350,000 registrations within 72 hours.As the movement gained traction, registering a website and launching a party anthem, questions regarding CJP’s affiliation with political parties came to the fore. Users highlighted Dipke’s past association with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and involvement in its social media and election campaign operations, however, the CJP founder denied any present links to the party.Dipke, while speaking to Associated Press, clarified that the CJP is not affiliated with any real political organisation, and instead resonates with the broader trend of ‘Gen-Z-led’ political movements in South Asia, wherein youths have spearheaded mass anti-government uprisings over the last few years, including Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. “This is the movement that has arrived in India…it will change the political discourse. It will continue online, and if required it will also come on the ground,” he said.Backlash to the movementDipke has been vocal about a flurry of casteist remarks, trolling and alleged death threats he has received since the satirical political outfit went viral on social media. In a post on X, he shared screenshots of threatening messages sent via WhatsApp, implying the senders knew the location of his parents, even offering him a bribe to delete the account and join the BJP. The message further read, “warna America mein bhi marwa denge (otherwise we can get you killed in America as well).”pic.twitter.com/Vjse03Lali— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) May 22, 2026Receiving death threats now. pic.twitter.com/agCy94jXEf— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) May 22, 2026He also shared a video of a man threatening him and asking him to join the incumbent party. While neither threat has been independently verified, BJP leader Tajinder Bagga disputed the identity of one of the numbers. As part of a growing crackdown on the movement, the party’s official website has been taken down, days after its X account was withheld and its backup Instagram page removed.A generation with nowhere to focus its angerDespite the CJP’s explicit disapproval of the BJP, with social media posts asking ‘Godi’ media to not approach them for interviews, it does not automatically flow towards established opposition any more than it does towards the ruling party. Poll strategist Naresh Arora wrote on X, the CJP “should not be seen only as a dissent against the ruling party but also a mirror to the opposition,” pointing out that neither side is listening to their grievances.The ferocious response to the movement is a testament of the youth’s simmering dissatisfaction and despair, with no productive avenue for redressal. Growing economic precarity, rising fuel prices, falling rupee value, pervasive dearth of employment opportunities, a string of government exam paper leaks and the overall apathy of the government to the youth’s circumstances have catalysed support for the parody political party.The NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, impacting two million students, has further exacerbated the sense that formal institutions, systems of meritocracy and public recruitment has failed them amid the impending doom of a deepening economic crisis. The CJI’s comments ignited this nascent fire, with people weaponising a self-deprecation rhetoric to transform the cockroach into a symbol of resilience, rather than contempt.“I signed up on the google form because it was the first time in years that I saw numbers that could translate into something real,” said Muskan Jain, a recent MBA graduate. “I don’t know if anything will happen or the movement will fizzle out in a couple months, but seeing so many people come together for a common cause gives me hope.”The party’s manifesto pointedly highlights scandals the incumbent party has been under fire for over the past few months, mentioning vote deletion, women’s reservation, a separation of the judiciary and the legislature, Adani and Ambani-owned media houses and anti-defection.Screengrab of CJP’s manifesto.They have also released a petition demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.CJP launching campaign demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.Please sign the petition: https://t.co/hXUOaCeIqJ#EduMinisterMustResign pic.twitter.com/dT6AmmoOQq— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) May 22, 2026People-centric political activismThe broader context the movement is pitted in is also significant. South Asia bore witness to a wave of youth-led political activism in recent years, with millions taking to the streets and holding governments accountable. Although India has plenty of stimuli to channel frustrations into a nation-wide protest, activism has been largely fragmented. The massive following the party gathered in a couple of days is evidence of the fact that the appetite for a similar rupture exists within India. The CJP’s numbers reflect the size of a political constituency that currently has no home, with an enormous potential for mobilisation.Manoeuvring of digital presence and social media trends to back political agenda is not new to the CJP. Zohran Mamdani’s strategic use of pop culture references, a youth-friendly public relations campaign and active social media presence, combined with a pro-active, people-centric manifesto, immensely augmented his chances of victory. Similarly, actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party’s win in the Tamil Nadu state assembly polls cannot be solely attributed to ‘celebrity politics;’ the state has a vast history of cinema-politics overlap. Welfare driven policies, a brewing need for change and digital mobilisation all facilitated this change.CJP has succeeded in achieving what opposition parties have been struggling to do: capturing the mood of the people, consolidating humour and political dissatisfaction in a way that channels the youth’s anger while appealing to a large public, thus sustaining it. The CJP effectively employed satire to fill a void left by political credibility. That said, several people have raised concerns about the potential impact of the movement beyond armchair activism.Movement or missed opportunity?Although seeing numbers after so long has made people desperate for hope, it remains to be seen whether the huge following will stay if the movement is streamlined into something actionable. Some students speaking to The Wire said that although the movement has potential to extend beyond social media posts into something concrete, they were apprehensive of hurtling towards a huge missed opportunity unless a systematic plan is enacted. They added that the party’s manifesto and stances are specific enough to seem liberal, yet broad enough to appeal to a large group of people.Another troubling aspect of the movement is young people positing reels saying “I was never interested in politics until…Cockroach Janta Party,” accentuating a trend wherein being apolitical is considered ‘cool’ and socio-political issues, including those mentioned in the party’s five-point manifesto, did not gain any considerable public outrage until it was conveyed through ‘meme-able’ content.Users have also raised concerns about the use of AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT in creating the party’s website, logos, and social media content, when ironically, the party’s alleged target audience is ‘unemployed’ youths of India. Thousands of artists are struggling to make ends meet and find opportunities in an industry severely disadvantaged by the advent of AI tools. The preference given to quick, AI-generated content over authentic artistry further casts doubt over the claims of the party. The social media page has now begun to repost art created by different members. Other users have highlighted that even though the CJP calls for 50% reservation for women in the legislature, it does not follow a single woman and all the founders are noticeably men.CJP is not alone in expressing discontent over the CJI’s comments. A protest held and documented by Earth Warriors, showed a group of young people dressed in cockroach costumes cleaning the Yamuna river. Similar initiatives have been organised by the Sanskriti Youth Foundation with volunteers cleaning the river every Sunday. However, the foundation has clarified that it is “not associated with, affiliated to, or supportive of any political party, including any so-called ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ or similar political group.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ðeepak Tyagi (@_deepak._tyagi_)Nevertheless, the scale of mobilisation observed is beyond anything witnessed in India in the recent years. It indicates a demand for change, one that, if addressed properly, can pave the way for a political reckoning. The party’s genius of turning contempt into community, and de-stigmatising the prevalent narrative of the “lazy, chronically online youth” into a rapidly consolidating force, provides hope for fresh politics, an actively engaged public and a political movement empathetic to its masses.Opposition parties, especially the Congress remain wary of using the cockroach as a meme themselves. But there is no doubt that the memes, the traction they are getting and the government’s near-paranoid response leading to band and restrictions suggests that even if not endorse or join in, everyone, must sit up and take note.