Cockroach Janta Party

Background

The origin of the movement is tied to a contempt plea filed in Supreme Court of India against Delhi High Court for delay in designation of senior advocate title. A two-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi refused to hear the case, remarking that the court was waiting for an appropriate case to direct CBI investigation of lawyers practising under fake degrees.^[8] While reprimanding the petitioner's lawyer for unprofessional conduct in reference to language used on social media as well as use of frivolous litigation targeting judiciary system,^[9][8] Kant drew parallels to unemployed individuals that turn to social media, media and public activism to attack government institutions, comparing them to "cockroaches" and "parasites" which drew widespread backlash.^[10][11][12]

There are already parasites of society who attack the system, and you want to join hands with them? There are youngsters like cockroaches; they don’t get any employment, and they don’t have any place in a profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, some of them become RTI activists, some of them become other activists, and they start attacking everyone… And you people file contempt petitions.^[11]

Kant issued a clarification stating that his remarks had been misquoted and that he was specifically criticising individuals who had entered the "legal, media, social media, and other noble professions" using fake degrees, and that he considered India's youth very highly.^[13][14][9] Despite the clarification, the controversial "cockroach" label stuck with youth.^[15]

Social media beginnings

Digital communications strategist Abhijeet Dipke decided to turn the "insult" around and use it as a tool for protest, launching the "Cockroach Janta Party" (CJP) online on 16 May 2026, as a satirical parody of the ruling political establishment. The CJP created a mock political platform that rapidly exploded in popularity across social media.^[16] Dipke stated in an interview with India Today that the Chief Justice's comments were particularly hurtful because they came from the custodian of the Constitution, who is tasked with protecting freedom of expression.^[17]

The name "Cockroach Janta Party" is a direct reference to the CJI's remarks, as well as a play on the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).^[5] The party's website went live on 16 May under the tagline "Voice of the Lazy & Unemployed" and described itself as a "platform for all the 'cockroaches' out there" listing the eligibility criteria as being unemployed, lazy, chronically online, and able to rant professionally.^[18][19] Dipke claimed that the CJP is not affiliated with any political organisation and intends to serve as a "platform" for young Indians who feel left out of mainstream politics.^[20]

Dipke used artificial intelligence (AI) tools like Claude and ChatGPT to design the website and the manifesto,^[5] as well as AI-generated images that were used to promote the movement.^[21] The movement grew rapidly on social media platforms. Within 78 hours of launch, the Instagram account crossed 3 million followers. It then surpassed 10 million in under five days, overtaking the official handle of the BJP.^[17] Cockroach Janta Party's official X account was withheld in India in response to a blocking order on 21 June 2026 when the account had around 90,000 followers less than a week since its formation. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) ordered restriction of its X account under Section 69(A) of the Information Technology Act (ITA), 2000. Although the reason for blocking remains confidential under rule 16 of Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) rules, 2009, The Indian Express reported from anonymous sources that it was acting on inputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) citing national security concerns and a threat to the sovereignty of India, arguing that CJP's content was inflammatory and gaining rapid traction among youth.^[22][23] Within minutes of being taken down on X, the party came back with a new X handle titled, "Cockroach is Back".^[6] On 26 May 2026, Dipke moved the Delhi High Court challenging the blocking of the party's X account in India, which was successful in unblocking of its X account on 7 July 2026. The court noted that the blocking was undertaken in precaution to re-NEET examination due to potential to "cause chaos" and considered the concern no longer valid.^[24][25]

The movement started offline mobilisation through organised community service, including clean-up drives in which volunteers dressed in cockroach costumes, and eventually expanded its scope to organising protests.^[3]

Founder

Abhijeet Dipke was born on 29 September 1995 in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.^[26][27] Dipke earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism in Pune.^[28][27] He then moved to the United States and completed a Master of Science in Public Relations from Boston University.^[29]

Between 2020 and 2023, Dipke worked as a volunteer with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) social media team. During the 2020 Delhi Legislative Assembly election, which AAP won under Arvind Kejriwal's leadership, he made meme-based digital content aimed at young voters. He also served as a communication advisor for the Delhi government's education department.^[30] He left AAP in 2023 to study abroad.

Leadership

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has three official spokespersons: Saurav Das, Vijeta Dahiya, and Ashutosh Ranka.^[31]

Saurav Das also announced the induction of four new spokespersons into the organisation, Vaishnavi Gaur, Aafreen Nawaz, Deepak Baliyan and Ratna Singh.^[32]

Membership

The eligibility criteria for joining the CJP are deliberately satirical:^[13]

• Unemployed ("by force, by choice, or by principle")
• Lazy ("refers only to physical activity")
• Chronically online ("at least 11 hours daily, including bathroom breaks")
• Ability to rant professionally ("content must be sharp, honest, and point at something that matters")

The party states that religion, caste, and gender are not considered in the membership process.^[13]

Supporters

Environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk expressed support for the Cockroach Janata Party movement describing himself as an "honorary cockroach" and urging the government to address concerns raised by young people rather than suppressing online dissent.^[37] Wangchuk has been a prominent figure at a CJP-organised protest, demanding accountability in conduction of national examinations, and is leading an indefinite hunger strike along with six students from All India Students' Association (AISA).^[38][39] Other leftist student organisations such as All India Students' Federation (AISF) and All India Youth Federation (AIYF) also expressed solidarity with the protest.^[40]

Activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan also supported the movement and has spoken about the issues raised by CJP, urging the use of its platforms to demand accountability from Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan particularly regarding 2026 NEET paper leak, and to call for a "right to employment" law providing jobs or unemployment allowances for citizens between 21 and 60 years of age.^[5][17] Social activist Anna Hazare also expressed support for young people backing the Cockroach Janata Party, stating that the government should encourage such youth participation rather than ignore it. Hazare said that "youth power is national power" and urged the Centre to listen to the concerns raised by them.^[41][42] Social activist Anjali Bhardwaj also expressed support and suggested the movement to also include transparency under RTI act under its agenda which was accepted.^[34] Prominent human rights advocate, Saad Kassis-Mohamed has also expressed support for the movement.^[43]

Congress MP, Shashi Tharoor described the CJP as a "revelation" of youth frustration regarding unemployment, inflation, and the NEET(UG) paper leaks and considered it as an opportunity for the political opposition to channel this discontent into mainstream electoral politics. Tharoor criticised the blocking of CJP's X handle as "disastrous" for democracy, arguing that satirical and humorous outlets are healthy for expressing public dissatisfaction.^[44] Trinamool Congress leaders Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee have also expressed support for the Cockroach Janata Party. Party spokesperson Derek O'Brien stated that the CJP was “fighting a good fight” and described the movement as a reflection of youth concerns and online political dissent in India. CJP had previously welcomed two Trinamool Congress MPs, Mahua Moitra and Kirti Azad, who had also expressed support.^[45][46] Samajwadi Party president, Akhilesh Yadav also spoke in support of CJP.^[43]

Several figures from the Indian film and comedy industries also supported or engaged with the movement on social media such as, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, author Arundhati Roy, comedian Kunal Kamra, and actresses Konkona Sen Sharma, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sonakshi Sinha, Dia Mirza, Shabana Azmi and Esha Gupta.^{[47][17][48][49]} YouTuber Dhruv Rathee also extended support, stating in a YouTube Short that he would soon join the collective.^[17] Social media users also began posting with the hashtag #MainBhiCockroach (transl. 'I too am a cockroach') in support of the movement.^[21]

Criticism and scepticism

Critics initially dismissed the CJP as online political theatre, pointing to Dipke's past association with the Aam Aadmi Party and arguing that the collective is a carefully packaged digital campaign rather than a spontaneous rebellion,^[3] with some analysts questioning whether its rapid growth reflects genuine grassroots mobilisation or social media amplification, noting that viral movements often struggle to sustain momentum beyond initial online attention.^[5][50] Social media users remained divided with some labelling the CJP as "mere meme politics," while others describing it as "the first party in the country which at least understands the pain of the youth."^[19] Since CJP's conduction of protest, the movement has drawn some parallels to 2011 anti-corruption movement and 2021 Farmer's Protest, with critics questioning the long term impact and sustainability of the movement, noting that developing a coherent ideological vision that continues to connect with the people remains a significant challenge in India.^{[51][52][53][54]}