The campaign was launched by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old Indian who recently completed a public relations degree at Boston University in the United States. Within days of its launch, the movement reportedly crossed 15 million followers on Instagram, surpassing the official online following of the Indian National Congress and briefly overtaking the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Instagram presence.
The campaign gained momentum after Dipke posted a satirical reaction to reports that unemployed youth in India had been described as “cockroaches and parasites of society” during a Supreme Court hearing. The remarks were attributed to Chief Justice Surya Kant and triggered widespread outrage among young Indians, many of whom began adopting the “cockroach” symbol as a form of political protest on social media platforms.
Daniel Schwartz David, a physician and public health advocate from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, said the Cockroach Janta Party represented the aspirations of young people seeking better healthcare, education, skills development, and employment opportunities.
“Instead of muzzling the voices of dissent, it is the best time for those sitting in the country’s power corridors to listen to the woes of the younger generation,” he said.
His remarks came after a leader of the opposition Congress party accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of blocking social media accounts linked to the campaign. The allegation reportedly followed an intelligence assessment warning of possible public unrest connected to the movement.
David said mounting frustration among the youth was increasingly affecting both society and the economy. According to him, many young people feel they have no institutional space to express their concerns and are turning to social media platforms to vent their anger.
India currently has an estimated 11 to 15 million unemployed young people, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey, regarded as the country’s primary official employment database. Critics argue that a large section of the workforce aged between 15 and 29 years is actively seeking jobs but remains unable to secure employment in the prevailing economic conditions.
Jesvin George, a Catholic student in New Delhi pursuing a master’s degree in mathematics, said the movement was not an organised political operation but rather a spontaneous response from frustrated youth.
India has also witnessed several major examination scandals in recent years, including leaks involving highly competitive entrance tests taken by millions of students aspiring to gain admission to medical colleges.
Nivin Thomas, a social activist from Uttar Pradesh, said the younger generation remained deeply dissatisfied but lacked effective channels to communicate its grievances.
“The youth is not happy but does not have any means of expression. If you talk to them in their language, they will engage,” he said.
The rise of the campaign has reignited debate over freedom of expression and online censorship in India after social media accounts associated with the movement were reportedly suspended. Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party claim the suspensions reflect growing intolerance toward digital dissent, although authorities have not officially connected the actions to government intervention.
The rapid rise of the movement has highlighted increasing unrest among unemployed and politically disillusioned youth in India, transforming an online satire campaign into a nationwide expression of frustration over economic hardship, public accountability, and democratic space in the digital era.
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