The ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ or CJP which started as a satirical online movement has now become one of India’s biggest internet sensations and in just a few days the group has crossed 20.2 million followers on social media turning a meme-based campaign into a massive digital trend that is now competing with major political parties online.
What makes the rise of CJP unusual is that it did not begin like a normal political movement as there were no rallies, speeches or press conferences but instead it started with memes, sarcasm and frustration shared by young people on social media.
Supporters even jokingly call themselves “cockroaches” because they believe they continue surviving despite pressure from society, job struggles and constant judgment from others and several viral posts from the movement also mock common questions unemployed youth often hear from relatives and society and even though the project is satire some of its promises discuss serious issues and these include strong action against misinformation, long bans on politicians who switch parties, no post-retirement Rajya Sabha seats for Chief Justices and 50 percent reservation for women, including in the Cabinet.
The recently launched “Cockroach Janta Party” or CJP has suddenly become one of the internet’s most talked about satire movements and the party is currently leading on Instagram with 20.2 million followers and here’s how other parties stand in comparison with others:
Cockroach Janata Party: 20.2M
Bharatiya Janata Party: 8.8M
Indian National Congress: 13.3M
Aam Aadmi Party: 1.9M
Shiromani Akali Dal: 291K
CJP is ahead in the numbers right now followed closely by Congress while BJP stands third in this comparison. AAP and SAD trail far behind in followers and what started as a meme is now a full internet phenomenon and with 20.2 million followers already Cockroach Janta Party has become one of the country’s biggest viral digital movements.
The controversy began after remarks made by Chief Justice Surya Kant during a court hearing and the judge reportedly used words “cockroaches” and “parasites” while speaking about people using fake degrees to enter professions such as law and media and soon after many social media users believed the comments indirectly targeted unemployed youth and people struggling in the current system.
Although Justice Surya Kant later clarified that his remarks were not aimed at unemployed youngsters the issue had already become a major online debate and instead of reacting only with anger many young users turned the controversy into satire and memes and this is where the Cockroach Janta Party was born.
On May 16, 30-year-old Abhijeet Dipke shared a Google form on X and invited people to join “Cockroach Janta Party” and what began as an online joke quickly went viral and within hours thousands of people had signed up and according to Dipke the support was completely organic and far bigger than he expected. The party describes itself as the “Voice of the Lazy & Unemployed” and jokingly says its headquarters are located “wherever the WiFi works.”
The group’s social media pages look more like Gen-Z meme accounts than traditional political platforms however many users noticed that CJP also behaves almost like a real political organisation as it has posters, slogans, online volunteers, social media campaigns, branding and even a manifesto.
Many young people online say they connected with the movement because it reflects real-life struggles and through humour and sarcasm the group talks about unemployment, rising inflation, exam pressure, political frustration and feeling ignored by the system.
