A satirical online movement called the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has gone viral on social media, crossing 10 million Instagram followers in just five days and overtaking the BJP’s official account on the platform.
The movement started after controversial remarks made by Surya Kant during a court hearing on May 15.
During the hearing, the Chief Justice spoke about some social media activists and compared them to “cockroaches,” leading to strong reactions online. The comments sparked anger among many young social media users and soon led to the birth of the Cockroach Janta Party.
The campaign is being led by Abhijeet Dipke, who said people felt hurt because the comments came from someone responsible for protecting freedom of expression.
Although the Chief Justice later clarified that his remarks were aimed at people with fake degrees and not the youth of the country, the online movement continued to grow rapidly.
The CJP describes itself as “a political front of the youth, by the youth, for the youth.” It quickly gained popularity by using memes, reels, humour, and posts related to unemployment, exam paper leaks, and frustration among young people.
Its Instagram account, @cockroachjantaparty, crossed 10 million followers within five days. In comparison, the BJP’s Instagram account has around 8.7 million followers, while Congress has about 13.2 million followers.
The movement has also received support online from public figures and politicians, including Mahua Moitra, Kirti Azad, activist Prashant Bhushan, and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee.
Despite its massive online popularity, Dipke said the group is not trying to become a traditional political party. He claimed the movement represents the frustration and voice of Gen Z users.
The rapid rise of the CJP has highlighted how social media, memes, and online communities are now shaping political discussions in India in a completely new way.
