How Protesters Turned Social Media Into a Powerful Tool to Mock Modi and Amplify Their Movement

Prime Minister Narendra Modi built his political brand through social media. Now, protesters are using that same platform to mock his administration, ridicule pro-government television news coverage, transform confrontations with police into viral content and seize control of the online conversation.

The digital campaign has carried protests demanding accountability and education reforms far beyond the streets, expanding their reach and increasing pressure on a government that is wary of appearing to yield to a rapidly growing youth movement.

The “Cockroach” movement’s online campaign has been driven largely by humour. Clashes with police have become viral content, with videos showing protesters joking about keeping their Strava streaks alive—a reference to the fitness tracking app used by runners—as they fled police baton charges.

Other protesters edited footage of themselves dodging police barricades to resemble the popular endless runner mobile game Subway Surfers. Some women embraced influencer culture by posting “get ready with me” videos before marches and “fit check” posts showcasing helmets, goggles and other homemade protest gear. Others created spoof videos mocking pro-government television anchors and the dramatic style of broadcasts that labelled the protesters “anti-national” and “foreign-funded conspirators.”

One 25-year-old protester said the memes represent more than comic relief and have become a way of coping with the situation. She described the approach as a generational trait.

Unlike older generations, who learned to endure hardship, her generation has little patience for “simply putting up with it,” she said.

“If our phone data runs out, we can’t even bear that. So we’re definitely not going to tolerate this,” she said, referring to Monday’s police crackdown on protesters in the capital.

The street protests erupted a month ago, fuelled by anger over a series of examination scandals, including the illegal sharing of entrance exams for the national medical programme.

Young people say the scandals have jeopardised their futures and eroded trust in the education system. They blame Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who resigned on Saturday.

The demonstrations have since expanded into broader anger over government accountability and spread to other cities.

Much of that expansion has been driven by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical group that started the movement two months ago. Through memes, humour and satire, the group has provided younger Indians with a new way to express frustration with the government and helped transform what began as a single-issue campaign into a broader youth movement.

At the main protest site in New Delhi, that influence was evident throughout the demonstrations.

Some protesters marched wearing Spider-Man masks and Batman costumes while carrying tongue-in-cheek placards. Other protest signs reflected the irreverent tone of social media, incorporating memes and pop culture references into the demonstrations.

One poster featuring the education minister asked, “When will AI take his job?” Another captured the spirit of the movement with the slogan, “Every joke is a [tiny] revolution.”

Some slogans and posters adopted an overtly profane and risqué tone. A 23-year-old student said the protesters were simply communicating in the language of their generation.

“We find speeches boring, we are the summary generation. We have a habit of consuming things in a short span of time, so we are using the same ways to put our message across,” she said.

For Modi, who is entering his 13th year in office, the protests present an unusual challenge.

His image has been built on strength and decisiveness, but he risks alienating young people if he responds too forcefully. Nearly half of India’s population is under 25, making young voters one of the country’s most influential electoral groups.

Jokes about Modi were rare during earlier protests, when his government was criticised for suppressing dissent. Now, however, even the prime minister has become the subject of taunts.

Modi’s gestures, pauses and mannerisms have been transformed into viral edits that turn his own words into political jokes.

When Modi released a late-night, selfie-style video on Thursday addressing the protesters, he promised swift legal action against those responsible for leaking academic or job examinations.

Many internet users responded by editing the clip with parody voiceovers and references to past promises they said had gone unfulfilled.

Modi’s original address opened with him referring to the protesters as “friends.” A parody version retained that opening before abruptly cutting to three young girls staring into the camera and replying, “No, we are not.”

A 21-year-old student said there is no better way to challenge Modi than by using the same social media platforms that helped build his political brand.

“We are just answering him in his language,” he said.

The growing online campaign has become an extension of the protests themselves, using humour, satire and viral content to amplify the movement while placing the government under sustained public scrutiny alongside demonstrations on the streets.