The Cockroach Janta Party dilemma: Can social media movement translate to political change?

Political parties across the spectrum have always tried to step up their focus on “Young India”. Beyond seeing them only as first-time voters, politics today also sees young people as digital influencers, online “narrative” amplifiers and future campaign workers. Yet after a triggering remark made by Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant, a section of young India appeared to move not towards an established political party, but towards a new digital formation created by Abhijeet Dipke on May 16 called the “Cockroach Janta Party”.

Within days, it generated millions of views and crossed more than 20 million followers, a scale not seen before. On 15th May, during a court hearing, Justice Kant had likened unemployed youth questioning the system to "cockroaches". The remark led to not only the creation of the Instagram-based platform but also an unexpected wave of youth engagement around it.

“The word ‘cockroach’ carries both a symbolic and emotional pull. Emotional, because the statement comparing unemployed youth to cockroaches gave it an emotional push among unemployed and underemployed,” said Dr Shweta Sharma, a psychologist at Manipal Hospital Gurgaon. “And symbolic, because cockroaches are seen as creatures that survive and emerge from the harshest conditions. It gives young people a sense of hope that they will eventually achieve what they want from this grouping.”

The account rapidly grew, unsettling many within India’s political establishment. While Congress leaders have largely avoided commenting on the movement, as several leaders refrained from reacting after being reached out to by THE WEEK, several BJP leaders have described it as an anti-national activity, with some even attempting to link its followers to Pakistan.

In media interactions, Abhijeet Dipke has shared screenshots claiming that over 94 per cent of the platform’s followers are from India. He has also reportedly said that most followers belong to the 17–28 age group, the very demographic every political party is trying to attract to secure its future cadre and political relevance. As older generations gradually move out of active politics, it is this younger generation that will eventually occupy the country’s political space.

However, the movement has also faced repeated disruptions. The suspension of its social media accounts and the launch of new backup accounts have diluted its follower base. On X, the “Cockroach Janta Party” account had crossed one million followers before it was taken down. Dipke later launched another account, “Cockroaches Are Back”, but it attracted a much smaller following – under 3 lakhs.

Unlike traditional political formations, the movement has not projected any major political ambitions. Something that reduces its prospects is that it is only on the internet and not physically present anywhere; it is also not concentrated in a district or state that would have made it a more cohesive formation. Its followers are scattered around the country. As the digital platforms get taken down, it would be difficult to reform the groups at the same frequency.

To compare this movement with some of the strongest social media campaigns in recent times, even political parties with organisational structures and aggressive digital outreach have struggled to convert online visibility into any consequential results. Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party ran a hyperactive social media campaign in Bihar, backed by hundreds of media bites and interviews. On top of that, there was ground mobilisation with dedicated workers, but it could not play an impactful role in the state politics as it gathered less than 4 per cent vote share.

The Cockroach movement, therefore, faces structural limitations. Its founder lives in America and would immediately lose control over its followers once the social media platform is taken down. The movement also lacks a ground organisation capable of converting digital sentiment into sustained political action. In countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, mass movements combined social media mobilisation with physical protests on the ground. Here, once accounts are suspended, much of the momentum disperses.

“One thing political parties need to understand today is that the youth of this country are highly aware. You cannot ignore them. The government may have good education policies, but the question is about implementation. So this is essentially a reaction from ordinary people,” said Pravesh Kumar, faculty member of Political Science at JNU. “It should also be understood that this is not specifically against any one political party, including the BJP. It is more against the larger system that has evolved. It is a forum where people are expressing their views irrespective of the parties they support.”

Two issues currently flowing sharply through India’s political and social landscape are paper leaks and unemployment, and Justice Surya Kant’s remark appeared to many young people as reflecting a wider institutional apathy towards these concerns.

The movement, therefore, cannot be dismissed as a blip on the radar. It reflects a sentiment that could shape a wider political pattern. The Congress party and its Indian Youth Congress, which have been raising issues such as fuel prices, paper leaks and unemployment, also appear to be trying to tap into this growing youth anger.

Soon after the clampdown on the digital channels of the Cockroach movement, Rahul Gandhi too entered the conversation with a targeted outreach towards Gen Z. In a video message, he accused the BJP-linked ecosystem in universities of creating a “nexus” that has damaged India’s education system. Addressing young people directly, Rahul said, “We are with you, and we will fight this battle from the streets to Parliament.”

His intervention reflected how seriously mainstream political parties are beginning to view the growing youth-driven digital discourse around unemployment, education and institutional distrust.

“No social media movement can clash with the Indian government. We have been on social media and on the ground every day after the paper leaks happened,” said Manu Jain, national chairman of IYC social media.

The cockroach movement has also given a new direction to the Indian Youth Congress, whose leaders are now attempting to tap into this growing youth dissatisfaction. Some have even started calling themselves “Indian National Cockroaches”. IYC leaders insist it is not a copy of another campaign and say they have been protesting against the NEET paper leak from the beginning. After the Supreme Court remark, many of them have openly embraced the label of “cockroaches” as a political expression of protest.

Looking back into the recent history, in April 2011, the India Against Corruption movement emerged and was widely seen as having dented the then Congress-led government at the Centre laying the foundation for defeat of Congress in 2014. But it was sustained by years of physical mobilisation led by Anna Hazare, with people joining in large numbers on the ground. The Cockroach movement, by contrast, remains largely digital with no visible grassroots structure. Yet it has stirred sections of India’s aspiring lower class and a large chunk of middle-class youth.

Whether the Cockroach Janta Party survives or fades like many internet movements before it, its sudden rise has exposed something deeper: a growing section of Indian youth feels politically unheard, economically anxious and emotionally disconnected from institutions that claim to represent them.