The CJP was Founded by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old political communication strategist, it set up its website and social media accounts on May 16.
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That the Cockroach Janta Party, whose logo is an outline of a cockroach on a mobile phone, calls itself the “Voice of the Lazy and Unemployed” found traction with millions of Gen Zs is not unexpected
Monalisa Changkija
Across cultures, it is said that the wise hold their tongue. But these days, wisdom is rare, and the ease of technology has everyone mindlessly opining on everything and everyone. The reactions on the ever-proliferating social media are ceaseless and often take unexpected turns. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is one such reaction. It isn’t only opinions; sometimes even actions upend governments, as we have seen in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. Is it India’s turn now? It is too early to comment.
However, clearly India’s Gen Z got an opportunity to vent their frustrations, even angst, at their regrettable situation after the Chief Justice of India made a remark during a hearing on May 15 that triggered outrage across social media platforms. Referring to a lawyer’s conduct on social media, Justice Surya Kant reportedly said: “There are youngsters, like cockroaches, who don’t get any employment or have any place in the profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, RTI activists, and other activists, and they start attacking everyone.” The CJI later issued a clarification on May 16, saying he had been “misquoted by a section of the media” and that he did not mean to criticise young people but was referring to those with “fake and bogus degrees” who were “like parasites”. Judging by the speed of social media, it was too late. On the same day (May 16), the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) surfaced online as a satirical digital movement.
Founded by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old political communication strategist, the Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, set up its website and social media accounts on May 16. Unsurprisingly, the CJP’s X account was withheld in India days after the satirical political campaign emerged online in response to the CJI’s aforesaid remarks about sections of Indian youth. Thereafter, Dipke started a new account named ‘Cockroach Is Back’ on X. The campaign’s social media traction surged in recent days. Its Instagram account, operating under the handle @cockroachjantaparty, crossed 20.5 million (2.05 crore) followers on May 22 afternoon, leaving the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has around 9.1 million (91 lakh) followers on the Meta-owned platform, as well as the main opposition party, Congress, which has around 13.4 million (1.34 crore) followers, far behind.
That the Cockroach Janta Party, whose logo is an outline of a cockroach on a mobile phone, calls itself the “Voice of the Lazy and Unemployed” found traction with millions of Gen Zs is not unexpected. However, what is interesting is the coverage its founder has received from major media agencies such as AP and Reuters, besides others, as well as Indian news outlets and agencies. According to a Reuters report: “The bubbling anxiety among India’s youth was also reflected in a Deloitte Global survey published this week that said India’s Gen Z population, those born between 1995 and 2007, had been badly hit by a lack of jobs and high prices. Gen Zs report higher financial stress, with a larger proportion highlighting home affordability challenges and financial insecurity,” the survey said.
Reuters further reports: “India is the world’s most populous nation and also has the world’s largest number of youth, with about 65% of its 1.42 billion people under the age of 35. Government data shows the unemployment rate for those aged 15 and above was 3.1% in 2025, but much higher at 9.9% among those aged 15 to 29, including 13.6% in urban areas and 8.3% in rural regions. Experts say many youngsters are concerned the problem could deepen as Artificial Intelligence disrupts entry-level roles in the country’s vast back-office industry.” The survey said 54% of Indian Gen Zs and 44% of Indian millennials — born between 1983 and 1994 — have postponed major life decisions such as buying homes because of economic worries. It covered 806 respondents in India as part of a wider survey of more than 14,000 respondents globally. AP reports: “Memes and short videos mocking corruption, joblessness and political dysfunction have flooded social media sites, where millions of users are embracing the cockroach — known for its ability to survive harsh conditions — as a tongue-in-cheek symbol of endurance.”
However unintended, one remark unleashed a whole lot of worms from the can — worms that are eating into the lives of our youngsters. But they seem to have found a platform to air their concerns. In the process, the quality of and gaps in India’s politics and governance have been exposed. While this movement has the potential to turn into something political — and a major one at that, considering India’s young demography — according to media reports, its founder isn’t rushing into things just yet.
Reportedly, he cautioned against comparisons with Gen Z-led street protests in neighbouring Bangladesh and Nepal that have ousted governments and declined to say whether there were plans to form a Gen Z political party. “It has the potential to turn into a big political movement, it has the potential to change the politics of India. And whatever we do, we will do within the rights of the Constitution. We will do it in a very democratic and peaceful way. It won’t be something like we saw in Nepal or Bangladesh.”
Interesting days lie ahead of us, for the youth everywhere have always stamped their prowess and power one way or the other. The very fact that major international media agencies and outlets are talking to the CJP founder and other Gen Zs — as they have always kept their fingers on the pulse of the youth globally — indicates that this movement may not be a gimmick or a flash in the pan.
At the time of writing this, the Government hasn’t officially responded to the CJP. The only indication has been the shutting down of the CJP’s original X account, though whether it was government-sanctioned is yet to be established. However, some opposition leaders have shown keen interest in and support for the CJP, or rather what they are saying. This could be them exploring avenues to deride the Government, or they may genuinely be concerned about the country’s youth. It is too early to say, but the fact that the CJP has attracted national and international attention speaks volumes about the not-so-happy trajectory into which India’s youth have been insensitively goaded — a bleak future with no recourse in sight — unless the Government changes course, listens to them and acts.
This will take a lot of effort, given that we have a huge demography of forward-looking, aspirational youth but an aged, power-crazed, religion-centric and reactionary political dispensation. It is not merely a generational gap but also an almost unbridgeable gap of hopes, expectations, aspirations and visions that could now set off on a collision course. Remarks and statements now require to be weighed with wisdom.
(The Columnist is a Dimapur-based veteran journalist, poet and former Editor of Nagaland Page. Published in the May 24, 2026 issue of Northeast Now)