What began as a satirical movement against the CJI’s controversial remarks has now become the country’s largest digital youth movement; after surpassing the world’s largest party, the BJP, in social media following, the government has resorted to digital censorship over its “legitimate demand.”
New Delhi: Rarely in India’s judicial and political history has a single verbal comment morphed into such a widespread and explosive mass movement as is currently being witnessed. The “Cockroach Janata Party” (CJP), which emerged in protest against Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant’s reference to youth as “cockroaches” during a hearing on a fake degrees case, is no longer merely a social media trend. This movement has seen two major and historic turning points that have shaken the country’s political analysts and the establishment.
The first turning point is that Abhijeet Dipke, the movement’s architect and founder, who is pursuing a Masters in Public Relations from Boston University, has openly revealed his social background and clarified that he comes from the Dalit community.
Second, within just four days, the movement has shattered all records of popularity on social media, leading to the complete banning of its official X (formerly Twitter) handle in India as a retaliatory measure.
“I am a Dalit and this is the voice of the oppressed against the system.”
The social background of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who initially presented himself as merely a “lazy and unemployed” youth, gives the entire movement a new ideological edge. Abhijeet’s political understanding and his Dalit discourse are nothing new. In a Twitter post made on June 6, 2024, at 1:04 pm, Abhijeet openly discussed his identity and made candid comments on Dalit politics in Maharashtra.
Criticizing Prakash Ambedkar’s politics in the context of the India Alliance after the Lok Sabha elections, Abhijeet wrote: “Prakash Ambedkar’s arrogance cost him dearly. Coming from a Dalit community, I personally witnessed how unhappy Dalits in Maharashtra were with his refusal to join the India Alliance. When Dalits rallied behind the India Alliance, Prakash Ambedkar chose the opposite path. Although I personally don’t see him as a BJP agent, people in the community were convinced that he was helping the BJP by not joining the India Alliance. You can’t demand 16 MP seats when you don’t have a single MLA in the state.”
This post by Abhijeet makes it clear that he is not just a ‘chronically online’ youth, but has a deep understanding of the ground political reality and the pulse of the Bahujan Samaj. Analysts believe that the Chief Justice’s remarks are being seen not just as “anti-youth” but as a reflection of the system’s profound insensitivity towards the “historically exploited and marginalized.” When those at the helm of power call the youth “cockroaches,” it reflects a feudal and casteist mindset that has for centuries treated the oppressed as vermin.
Over 14.5 million followers in just 4 days: Surpasses the BJP’s digital empire
The grassroots and digital strength of this movement can be gauged from the fact that the Cockroach Janata Party has established a record of popularity on the social media platform Instagram, a level that traditional political parties take decades to achieve. According to the latest media reports, the number of followers on the CJP’s Instagram handle has incredibly increased from 10.5 million to over 14.5 million (14.5 million).
With this record-breaking number, the CJP has surpassed even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the world’s largest political party, in terms of Instagram following. Currently, the BJP’s official Instagram handle has approximately 8.7 million followers, while the CJP has surpassed them by several hundred thousand.
According to digital experts, Instagram’s entire system operates on an algorithm. The short videos posted by the CJP—which include sharp satire, youth anger, demands for employment, and direct criticism of systemic flaws—received millions of views immediately.
Young people connected directly with this content. The number of followers reached 5.5 million in just 48 hours, 6.2 million in three days, and surpassed 14.5 million on the fourth day. Additionally, more than 600,000 young people have formally registered for membership on the CJP website so far.
Is the government afraid of its growing popularity? The CJP’s ‘X’ account has been suspended in India.
As the Cockroach Janata Party’s digital reach began to challenge mainstream politics, the system’s repressive nature also became apparent. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke confirmed that the Cockroach Janata Party’s official Twitter account, X, has been completely banned in India in response to a “legal demand” from the Indian government. Prior to the ban, CJP’s X handle had amassed over 200,000 followers in a short period of time.
X typically bans accounts when it receives a “legitimate and reasonable request” from an authorized government entity. Whenever a movement or voice begins to stray from the control of the government, attempts are made to suppress it. However, despite the ban on the X account, CJP’s Instagram account remains fully active with 14.5 million followers.
Reacting to this digital censorship, young people have called it a “sign of fear.” In a statement released on its website, the CJP clarified: “We were fully aware that there would be attempts to eliminate us and portray us as anti-social elements. But we want to make it clear that the CJP firmly believes in the Constitution of India and will always work to protect its values.”
Constitutional Dignity and the 5-Point Agenda: The Serious Message Behind the Satire
Political parties should not mistake the CJP for a mere ‘funny trend,’ as the five demands included in its manifesto directly attack the biggest flaws in the country’s democratic system:
- Impartiality of the Judiciary: No Chief Justice will hold a Rajya Sabha seat or any other government post after retirement.
- Protection of Voting Rights: If any valid vote is deleted in any state, the Chief Election Commissioner will be held responsible and arrested under the UAPA.
- True Women’s Reservation: 50% direct reservation will be provided to women without increasing parliamentary seats, and 50% of cabinet positions will also be reserved for women.
- Restoration of independent media: The licenses of media houses owned by large corporate houses (like Ambani and Adani) will be revoked, creating space for independent journalism.
- Complete ban on defection: Any MLA or MP who changes party after election will be completely barred from contesting elections or holding public office for 20 years.
A Wonderful Confluence of Gen Z and Bahujan Consciousness
India’s youth, especially Gen Z, is going through an unprecedented crisis today. This is the generation that witnessed the crisis in education during the COVID-19 pandemic, is troubled by shrinking employment opportunities, and has suffered the brunt of government exam paper leaks. In such a situation, a Dalit youth’s transformation of anger, sparked by an insulting remark from the country’s Supreme Court, into a well-planned political voice through humor, satire, and digital activism is a new sign of India’s future politics.
Digital censorship proves that this cockroach army has now fully succeeded in creating chaos in the corridors of power.
Rajan Chaudhary
Courtesy: Hindi News