The political establishment should be worried. Not because of inflation. Not because 65 crore people are hunting for jobs. Not because of widening income gaps. Not even because Gen Z has discovered voter registration forms.No, the real threat is the sudden rise of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a movement whose unofficial slogan appears to be: “If we can survive nuclear war, we can survive Parliament.” Across the world, voters seem increasingly willing to elect anyone who doesn’t look, sound or behave like a career politician. The phenomenon is no longer confined to political-science textbooks. It is now visible from Tamil Nadu to Kathmandu, from Dhaka to Colombo.In Tamil Nadu, actor Vijay’s new political outfit managed to attract a surprisingly large mandate before it had enough time to acquire the traditional political accessories – multiple factions, a corruption scandal and an uncle running the youth wing.In Nepal, voters have repeatedly punished established parties. Bangladesh has witnessed political upheavals that reveal growing public impatience. Sri Lanka’s economic crisis shattered faith in old political families. Everywhere, citizens seem to be sending the same message: “Thank you for your service. Please leave.”For decades, traditional political parties perfected the art of dividing voters into neat categories. Religion. Caste. Language. Region. Community. Sub-community. Sub-sub-community. Soon, political strategists were probably preparing manifestos for people who preferred tea on Tuesdays and coffee on Wednesdays.Then came Gen Z: A generation that can collaborate with strangers across continents in online gaming tournaments but is expected to hate their neighbour because of a caste label invented centuries ago. A generation that follows Korean pop stars, American YouTubers, Japanese anime and European football clubs, but is constantly told that the most important thing in life is to continue a local political feud that began before their grandparents were born. Unsurprisingly, many are unconvinced.The established parties are confused. Their traditional formula seems to be malfunctioning. They keep pressing the “identity politics” button, but younger voters are asking awkward questions: “What is your plan for jobs?” “Can I afford a house?” “Why is public transport still terrible?” “Will there be water in twenty years?”These questions are deeply unsettling because they require answers.And that is precisely why politics should become everyone’s business. Many people claim they hate politics. This is rather like saying you hate gravity. The feeling is understandable, but gravity remains committed to the relationship.Politics determines the taxes you pay, the quality of roads you curse, the schools your children attend, the hospitals you depend on, the air you breathe, and increasingly, the internet you scroll while pretending not to care about politics.The irony is that people who avoid politics are usually governed by people who do not avoid politics.When citizens disengage, political systems don’t become cleaner. They become easier to capture. A vacuum in public participation is quickly filled by lobbyists, dynasties, special interests and professional outrage merchants. Democracy, unfortunately, has no autopilot mode.This is why civic engagement matters. Not merely voting once every few years and then disappearing into a cave of memes and streaming subscriptions. Democracy requires maintenance.Also read: State Funding, Right to Recall and More: Why Electoral Reforms Can’t Wait Any LongerPoliticians behave remarkably like students during examinations. If nobody is invigilating, creativity flourishes in unexpected directions…not just in NEET paper leaks.Public accountability happens when citizens stay informed, ask questions, challenge narratives, attend local meetings, organise campaigns and refuse to accept nonsense packaged as leadership. History repeatedly shows that governments move fastest when citizens make standing still politically expensive.Climate action, anti-corruption campaigns, civil rights movements and social reforms rarely emerged because politicians suddenly developed collective enlightenment. They happened because ordinary people became impossible to ignore. The stakes are even higher because political decisions outlive political terms.A bad social media post survives a week. A bad public policy can survive decades. The decisions made today on education, technology, healthcare, debt, infrastructure and climate will shape the lives of people who are currently too young to vote. That is why political participation is not merely about present grievances. It is about future inheritance.The most successful democracies understand this. Citizens participate not because politics is entertaining, but because it is consequential. Of course, the CJP may not be the answer. Neither may every newcomer claiming to be the answer. Fresh faces can disappoint just as efficiently as old ones.The lesson is not that outsiders are automatically better. The lesson is that voters are demanding accountability, responsiveness and relevance. They are tired of being treated as demographic inventory rather than citizens. And perhaps that is the most encouraging development of all.When people stop voting based solely on inherited loyalties and start voting based on performance, politicians are forced to compete in a marketplace of ideas rather than a museum of grievances. For Gen Z especially, politics cannot remain somebody else’s problem. The world they will inherit is being negotiated right now…in legislatures, municipal councils, regulatory bodies and EVMs. If they stay away, others will make those choices for them.So perhaps the rise of the CJP is not really about cockroaches at all. It is about citizens rediscovering an inconvenient truth: politics is everyone’s business. And when enough people remember that, even the most comfortable political establishment starts hearing scratching noises behind the walls.Muneer is a Fortune-500 advisor, start-up investor and co-founder of the non-profit Medici Institute for Innovation.