What began as a satirical Instagram page has now erupted into a major political flashpoint, with Opposition leaders across parties backing the viral “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) and describing it as a reflection of growing anger among India’s youth over unemployment, paper leaks and governance failures.
The meme-driven platform, launched barely days ago, has already crossed nearly 15 million followers on Instagram, overtaking the BJP’s official handle and forcing mainstream political parties to respond to a digital movement that is rapidly shaping online political discourse.
Related news: 3 trademark applications filed for ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ name
The brain behind this party is Abhijit Dipke, a former AAP member. He worked with AAP on social media strategy and election campaigns between 2020 and 2023.
From the Congress and Samajwadi Party to AAP, Shiv Sena (UBT), Trinamool Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal, leaders on Thursday openly endorsed the platform, defended its right to exist and criticised attempts to curb satire and dissent online.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav posted a brief but viral message on social media: “BJP versus CJP.” He later wrote another post in Hindi, “Tell oppressive rulers that revolutions have never been confined by restrictions. #BJPvsCJP.”
X account withheld, opens new within hours
The X account of Cockroach Janata Party was withheld in India on Thursday. Soon after, came another handle — ‘Cockroach is Back’ with the tagline ‘Cockroaches Don’t Die’. “The team will pursue the matter legally,” founder Abhijeet Dipke said. By 6 pm on Thursday, the new handle, ‘Cockroach is Back’, had over 39,000 followers.
While the Congress top leadership, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has not publicly commented on the controversy, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said he was “incredibly intrigued” by the rise of the platform and described the response to it as a sign of deep frustration among young Indians.
Tharoor said the fact that the platform had attracted millions of followers within days showed that a large section of the youth was searching for an outlet to express disappointment, anger and alienation. He said the reported withholding of the CJP account on X was “disastrous and deeply unwise”, arguing that democracies must allow room for humour, satire, dissent and even frustration.
“I understand the frustrations of the youth and see why they are resonating with it,” Tharoor said, adding that silencing such spaces would only deepen resentment. He also said he was uncertain about the future of the movement but hoped the youngsters behind it would eventually channel this energy into mainstream politics or democratic participation through voting.
Calling it an opportunity for the Opposition, Tharoor said established political parties could no longer ignore the changing mood among younger voters and the growing disconnect between conventional politics and Gen Z concerns.
Another Congress leader and Madhya Pradesh Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar said the “Cockroach Janta Party” was not just a meme, but the voice of a generation exhausted by unemployment, examination paper leaks and a collapsing system. He said millions had joined the platform because young people were no longer willing to remain silent.
Punjab Finance Minister and AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema defended the right of young people to express themselves politically and said suppressing their voices or insulting them with derogatory labels was wrong in a democracy. “The youth, both girls and boys, have every right to express their thoughts, and if you (BJP) suppress their rights by calling them cockroaches or using derogatory language, then it is completely wrong, this is what the BJP government is doing. And the youth absolutely have the full right to put forward their perspective,” he said.
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said dismissing Gen Z sentiments was a mistake, especially when millions had rallied behind the movement within days. He said calling young people “cockroaches” was disrespectful and unfortunate considering they represented the generation that ultimately shapes governments.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said the CJP’s popularity exposed a crisis within the Opposition. She said the fact that young voters were rallying behind a fictional digital outfit instead of established political parties showed that traditional Opposition formations needed to rethink how they connect with younger Indians.
“That a social media created idea of CJP has taken the Gen Z imagination by storm is a sad reflection of them losing hope in most of the current Opposition parties,” she said.
Backing the movement, TMC MP Mahua Moitra said, “Let all cockroaches unite against this latest show of tyranny.” She added when humour and satire are met with force, ‘a newer more powerful force is often born’.
Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Punjab AAP spokesperson, said, “Nowadays, the entire system is so rotten and decayed that Gen Z feels it has no other way left to express itself. The youth, despite being highly educated, are unemployed and deeply frustrated. I stand completely with them and respect their feelings.” Most of these young people belong to the middle and lower-middle classes. India’s system has decayed, and they have every right to raise their voice.”
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