A political movement featuring a cockroach as its symbol has emerged in India

In India, the political online space has unexpectedly gained a new symbolic “hero”—the cockroach, which has evolved from a sarcastic joke into a recognizable emblem of a youth online movement that is rapidly gaining popularity among social media users.

The story began after India’s Chief Justice Surya Kanta publicly compared unemployed young people aspiring to journalism and activism to cockroaches and parasites, though he later clarified that he was referring only to those using fake diplomas, not all of the country’s youth.

Despite the clarification, the remark had already spread across the internet, sparking a wave of irony, criticism, and memes, and later leading to the emergence of a satirical movement called the “Janta Cockroach Party” or CJP, a parody of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The movement has no official political status but positions itself as an online community with elements of political satire, and its “membership” requirements include unemployment, constant online presence, and the ironically phrased “ability to express oneself professionally.”

The project was initiated by Abhijit Dipke, a political communications strategist and student at Boston University, who explained that the idea started as a joke but quickly grew into a large-scale phenomenon. “I think the CJP is just the beginning. Young people are tired of the current political system, and more youth organizations will speak out,” he noted.

Within a few days, the movement had gathered tens of thousands of registrations via an online form, launched the hashtag #MainBhiCockroach (“I’m a cockroach too”), and even received support from some opposition figures, which further amplified its virality.

Gradually, actions featuring cockroach symbols began to spill over into the real world—young activists appeared at public events and protests in cockroach costumes, turning satire into a form of street activism.

As of now, the CJP Instagram account has surpassed 10 million followers, outpacing the official pages of major political parties, including the BJP, which further underscored the scale of the media impact. At the same time, the movement’s account on X is partially restricted in India, and users see a message stating that it has been hidden “in response to a legal request,” which only added to the situation’s resonance and sparked a new wave of online discussions.

Against this backdrop, India, where nearly half the population is under 30, remains a country with an active digital youth that increasingly turns to satire, memes, and online movements as a means of expressing political views and social discontent.