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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 post shared by Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeetdipke)

A party built overnight by a PR student

Dipke 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 movement

Dipke has been vocal about a flurry of casteist remarks, trolling and alleged death threats he has received since the satirical political........

© The Wire