The Cockroach Janta Party, as the satirical movement is known, has already overtaken the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Instagram, racking up nearly 20 million followers and attracting attention from rivals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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“Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is India’s most honest political party for the lazy, unemployed and forgotten citizens,” the spoof party said on its website. It said it’s “given a voice to millions of young Indians who feel neglected by traditional politics.”
The party was launched on May 16 after India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant referred to some unemployed youngsters as “parasites” and “cockroaches” during a courtroom hearing, sparking backlash from social media users online. Kant, India’s most senior judge, later said he had been misquoted by sections of the media.
The clarification did little to slow the movement’s momentum on social media, with political analysts saying its popularity reflects growing Gen Z resentment with the government’s inability to create enough employment opportunities for the young.
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India is the world’s fastest-growing major economy, but it’s still not expanding quickly enough to generate jobs for the millions of young people entering the workforce each year, including college graduates.
According to Azim Premji University, unemployment among college graduates has remained persistently high for decades — nearly 40% among those aged 15 to 25 and around 20% among those aged 25 to 29 as of 2023. In the US, by comparison, youth unemployment averaged 10% last year among those aged 16 to 24, according to Bloomberg calculations.
Economists say the government’s official figures, which put the unemployment rate for Indians aged 15 to 29 at only about 10%, don’t provide an accurate picture.
The popularity of the Cockroach Janta Party comes in the wake of Gen Z-fueled protests in other parts of South Asia in recent years, where angry young people swept out governments in Nepal and Bangladesh. Last year, India’s Himalayan neighbor of Nepal was rocked by violent youth-led protests over unemployment and corruption, developments closely monitored by Indian officials. Other Asian countries have also witnessed deadly anti-establishment protests in recent years.
“The speed at which it has reached out to this entire generation and amassed so many million followers shows that it has resonated,” Zaad Mahmood, a professor of politics at Presidency University in Kolkata, said about CJP’s rise. “It shows a deepening frustration with the kind of politics and society that they inhabit.”
The party was launched just weeks after Modi’s BJP secured a landmark victory in the eastern state of West Bengal, expanding its reach beyond its traditional strongholds in northern and western India. The BJP and its allies now control two-thirds of India’s states.
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Yet, there are emerging signs of political churn driven by Gen Z voters. In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, young voters helped propel a 51-year-old movie star to a shock electoral victory earlier in May, defeating parties that had dominated the state’s politics for decades.
“I don’t feel politically represented,” said Shreeum Rakheja, a 25-year-old who signed up for the CJP within days of its launch. While 65% of India’s population is under the age of 35, many of the country’s most powerful political leaders are in their 60s and 70s. Modi is 75.
Rakheja said she turned to creating content on Instagram after struggling to find suitable career opportunities. “The youth is tired of living in an environment that has already been pre-decided and premeditated for them,” she added.
That frustration is woven directly into the movement’s satire. The CJP lists “currently not working, or working very, very lazily” as one of its eligibility requirements, while its manifesto declares: “Resume gaps celebrated, not questioned — employment history is just a social construct.”
Its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, is a former member of the Aam Aadmi Party, an anti-establishment political movement that emerged more than a decade ago before becoming a mainstream political force. Media reports said Dipke launched the movement while looking for work after graduating from Boston University. He did not respond to requests for comment.
“I understand the frustrations of the youth and see why they are resonating with it,” Shashi Tharoor, leader from India’s largest opposition Congress Party, said in a post on X about CJP. “This is an opportunity that the opposition must seize.”
The movement has also been endorsed by other Modi rivals, including former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti of Indian-administered Kashmir.
On Thursday, Dipke said the CJP’s X account had been blocked in India. The Indian Express, citing an unnamed official, reported that the government had asked X to withhold the account after viewing it as a potential national security threat.
X did not respond to a request for comment, nor did India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
“The account being withheld on X is disastrous and deeply unwise — there should be an outlet for the youth to express their feelings,” Tharoor said in his post. “I am uncertain about the future of this movement but I hope the youngsters behind it find a way to bring this energy into mainstream politics.”