{"id":120,"date":"2026-05-23T09:07:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T09:07:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=120"},"modified":"2026-05-23T09:07:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T09:07:29","slug":"indias-cockroach-janata-party-began-as-a-joke-then-millions-joined-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=120","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s \u2018Cockroach Janata Party\u2019 began as a joke. Then millions joined in."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

What began as an internet punchline is turning into something more serious.<\/p>\n

Indians online are rallying around the Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP \u2014 a parody political movement that started as online satire but has rapidly become a vehicle for venting anger over unemployment, corruption and the state of India\u2019s democracy.<\/p>\n

Read more Justice Department deletes press releases on charges against Jan. 6 rioters<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The movement, a cheeky riff on the name of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has flooded social media with memes, mock campaign messaging and jokes carrying an edge of public frustration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to understand that five years ago nobody was ready to speak up against Modi or the government,\u201d said CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke. \u201cThe times are changing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Founded last month, the movement\u2019s rise traces back to comments made by Supreme Court Justice Surya Kant, who compared some young people and critics of institutions to \u201ccockroaches\u201d and \u201cparasites.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are youngsters like cockroaches, who don\u2019t get any employment or have any place in the profession,\u201d Kant said.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The remarks quickly ricocheted across social media, drawing criticism and meme-making in equal measure. Kant later said he had not intended to insult young people and that his comments were directed at individuals with fraudulent degrees.<\/p>\n

But by then, the internet had already done what it does best.<\/p>\n

On Instagram, the movement has amassed roughly 19 million followers \u2014 more than double the number for the BJP, which has approximately 9 million, and Congress, India\u2019s main opposition party, which has about 13.4 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing of this was intentional,\u201d Dipke said. \u201cIt is the younger people who were actually very frustrated. They don\u2019t have any outlet. They were really angry at the government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Judge throws out author Michael Wolff\u2019s lawsuit against Melania Trump<\/a><\/p>\n

Dipke, a political communications strategist and Boston University graduate, said the movement\u2019s popularity reflects a shift in India\u2019s political climate.<\/p>\n

He previously worked alongside the Aam Aadmi Party, which emerged from India\u2019s anti-corruption movement in 2012.<\/p>\n

The controversy over Kant\u2019s comments has fueled growing attention around the CJP, which transformed an insult into a rallying cry.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Dipke said his social media accounts appear to have been targeted by hackers since launching the CJP. In a series of posts on X, he also posted a graph that he said showed nearly 95% of the audience was from India, responding to claims that followers were coming from neighboring Pakistan.<\/p>\n

The CJP\u2019s official X account later became inaccessible within India, though it remained visible elsewhere, prompting concerns among some opposition figures about freedom of expression in the world\u2019s largest democracy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand the frustrations of the youth and see why they are resonating with it,\u201d wrote Shashi Tharoor, a member of the Congress party, calling the account\u2019s inaccessibility on X \u201cdisastrous\u201d and \u201cdeeply unwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere should be an outlet for the youth to express their feelings and so, let CJP\u2019s account function instead of shutting it down,\u201d he wrote. \u201cDemocracies need outlets for dissent, humor, satire, and even frustration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more California woman dead in murder-suicide may have given thousands to a scammer claiming to be Tom Selleck<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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