India’s ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ began as a joke. Then millions joined in.

What started as an internet punchline is becoming something more serious.

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Indians online are rallying around the Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP — a parody political movement that began as an online satire but quickly became a way to express anger over unemployment, corruption and the state of Indian democracy.

The movement, a cheeky riff on the name of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has flooded social media with memes, fake campaign messages and jokes tinged with public frustration.

“We need to understand that five years ago, no one was ready to speak out against Modi or the government,” said CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke. “Times are changing. »

Founded last month, the movement’s rise dates back to comments made by Supreme Court Justice Surya Kant, who compared some young people and critics of institutions to “cockroaches” and “parasites.”

“There are young people like cockroaches, who have no job and no place in the profession,” Kant said.

The remarks quickly ricocheted across social media, sparking criticism and memes in equal measure. Kant later said that he had not intended to insult young people and that his comments were directed at people with fraudulent degrees.

But by then, the Internet had already done what it does best.

On Instagram, the movement has amassed around 19 million followers, more than double the number of the BJP, which has around 9 million, and the Congress, India’s main opposition party, which has around 13.4 million.

“None of this was intentional,” Dipke said. “It was the younger people who were actually very frustrated. They have no outlet. They were really angry at the government.”

Dipke, a political communications strategist and Boston University graduate, said the movement’s popularity reflects a change in India’s political climate.

He previously worked alongside the Aam Aadmi Party, which emerged from India’s anti-corruption movement in 2012.

The controversy over Kant’s remarks fueled growing attention around the CJP, which transformed an insult into a rallying cry.

Dipke said his social media accounts appear to have been targeted by hackers since CJP launched. In a series of posts on

The CJP’s official X account subsequently became inaccessible in India, although it remained visible elsewhere, raising concerns among some opposition figures about freedom of expression in the world’s largest democracy.

“I understand the frustrations of young people and I understand why they resonate with this,” wrote Shashi Tharoor, a member of the Congress party, calling the inaccessibility of the account on X “disastrous” and “deeply reckless”.

“There should be a way for young people to express their feelings and thus keep the CJP account running instead of closing it,” he wrote. “Democracies need outlets for dissent, humor, satire and even frustration. »