Cockroach Janta Party: The trigger, manifesto, and future of India’s newest political satire movement

Abhishek Dipke, 30, had just completed his master’s in public relations from Boston University in Massachusetts, USA when an oral remark by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a court hearing allegedly compared young unemployed Indians to ‘cockroaches' went viral across India.

Dipke, who moved to the United States for higher studies in 2023, responded by announcing a new platform for all the ‘cockroaches’ out there. He invited people to sign up through a Google Form shared on X.

“If you wish to join, hit the link below. Eligibility criteria: • Unemployed • Lazy • Chronically online • Ability to rant professionally,” Dipke wrote, seemingly unaware of the viral movement the post would eventually spark.

Within hours, Dipke says he got 15,000 registrations in the Google Form. Soon the name campaign came to be known as Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). It had a twitter handle, an Instagram page and a website.

Five days after the post, the online campaign with the unofficial party name, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has become one of the biggest Indian political campaigns on the internet in recent years.

The party has 6 lakh registrations CJP’s Instagram account has crossed 13 Million followers, many lakhs more than Bharatiya Janata Party – worlds biggest political party in physical membership. The BJP has 8.7 million followers on Instagram.

CJP’s X handle with 200K followers has, however, been withheld in India in response to a legal demand on 21 May.

As CJP grows by leaps and bounds on the Internet, CJI Kant has, in the meantime, distanced himself from the comments, saying he was misquoted. But what started as a joke, as Dipke says, has now become a full-fledged political movement on the internet.

The virtial campaign rose close on the heels of the cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026. The National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the NEET-UG medical entrance examination earlier in May, affecting nearly 2.3 million registered students, followed by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into a widespread paper leak orchestrated via WhatsApp.

CJP has demanded fixing accountability, including the resignation of India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The CJP manifesto demands include demands such as a ban on post-retirement Rajya Sabha seats for chief justices, 50 per cent reservation for women in Parliament without increasing the strength of the house, and a 20-year ban on turncoats.

“It clearly manifests the frustration that India’s youth are feeling. It is primarily because they think no political party would think about them. They are feeling the heat of rising costs of living and unemployment,” Dipke told LiveMint from the US.

The Iran war has caused a spike in petrol prices in India, a country heavily dependent on fuel imports from the Middle East. The soaring cost has also put a dent in the Indian Rupee, slumping to an exchange rate of nearly ₹97 against the U.S. dollar—up from 85 a year ago.

In September 2025, large-scale anti-corruption protests took place all across Nepal, predominantly organised by Gen Z students. The situation escalated, with protests against public officials and vandalism of government and political buildings taking place throughout the country.

On 9 September 2025, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, along with a few government ministers, resigned. A new government led by former rapper Balendra Shah came to power in Nepal in March.

A similar youth-led violent protest led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh in August 2024.

But CJP founder Dipke has written off these comparisons.

“Let me make this absolutely clear, do not insult or underestimate the Gen Z of India by making such comparisons. The youth of this country are far more mature, aware, and politically conscious than many give them credit for. They understand their constitutional rights and will express their dissent through peaceful and democratic means,” he said.

Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has also supported CLP. Yadav wrote on X ‘BJP बनाम CJP’ which means BJP vs CJP. Uttar Pradesh is going to polls next year.

Apart from virtual support, there were some reactions on the ground as well.

Youth volunteers dressed as cockroaches cleaned parts of the Yamuna in the national capital. Instead of reacting only on social media, they carried out the protest on the banks of the river, the lifeline of the national capital.

The CJP faced it share of criticism too. Some called it AAP product by bringing up Dipke’s past working as a volunteer with Aam Aadmi Party before 2022. Others wondered if an online campaign could have any impact on ground with some asking how many people would even vote for it, if CLP decides to become a political party.

Some online users suggested that CLP has just turned a joke into an online moment and actually not done anything substantial.

"This is what they call—becoming a martyr by clipping your nails. Bro's sitting in America and taking "risks" on Instagram. What a spectacle. Here in India, people are speaking out against the government's shitty policies, facing FIRs, going to jail, but they never make a show of it. Narcissism is a virus, it quickly takes root in the mind," a user wrote.

What next?

As Dipke responds to comments and reactions online, he says he has already staryed inviting feedback on what next. For now the X handle is gone. The website has over 6 lakh registrations and Isntagram has over 13 million followers, This is huge in online space.

“We are planning something. May be I come to India. It will depend on the feedback that we get,” he told Mint in recent interview.