‘Satire or revolution?’: Gen Z’s complicated relationship with Cockroach Janata Party

Yet, ask young Indians what they actually make of it, and the answer is far more nuanced than any meme would suggest.

“The movement itself is not serious,” says Vaibhav Joshi, 22, flatly. “But the sudden rise shows something that is very serious – the frustration of the youth.”

That frustration has a specific texture. L A Adithya, a journalism student still searching for his first job, says the CJI’s remarks touched a nerve. “Unemployment is such a sensitive issue. If a person of that stature says something like this without clarifying who he was targeting, it really does hurt a lot of people.”

Rohini Sridharan, 20, frames it more structurally, “Look at the inflation, the toxic work culture, the underpaid jobs that educated young people are lucky to get at all. After going through all of this, you’re getting called cockroaches… Reactions stem from that anger.”

What the CJP has done is give that anger a platform. “Making memes, joking about things, and spreading awareness on the internet is the new form of revolution that Gen Z does. They don’t go out on roads – they use the internet. And CJP is a medium,” says Joshi.

Not everyone is convinced. Akshara Sharan, 22, a content writer, went through the party’s manifesto, which she approved of. However, her sharpest concern is with how its followers are behaving. “Media literacy is at an all-time low,” she says. “People are signing up for CJP memberships without knowing who the founder is, what his background is,” she further says, pointing to Dipke’s alleged ties working with the digital campaign team of the Aam Aadmi Party.

“Just because someone seems anti-establishment does not mean they should be followed blindly. We have to learn to analyse and think critically about everything, even jokes. The very basis of democracy is that we should be able to question everyone… They (CJP) can actually listen to people, take into account what people want, and bring change, as opposed to just going along with whatever is happening and becoming rigid,” she adds.

Vijay’s rise

Asked whether any of this could translate into political reality, Sridharan points to the Tamil Nadu elections, where actor-turned-politician Vijay was dismissed as a social media novelty by every analyst, until he won. Adithya says trust would have to be earned over the years. Meanwhile, Joshi won’t vote for the founder on anti-establishment sentiment alone: “If he puts something on the table rather than just social media hype, then I will consider.” Sharan is the most measured: “It did show that we can mobilise the youth. But it’s just a symbol for now.”

Revolution, everyone agrees, is too strong a word. But so, perhaps, is dismissal. “The minute you try to suppress youth,” Joshi says, “just like a spring, they’ll bounce back hard.”

The party’s sentiments are being appreciated, but some have decided to keep a skeptical eye out as well, lest it be ‘too good to be true’.

Latest developments show that the official website has been taken down “by the government,” as Dipke alleges on his X account. It contained the party manifesto and was hosting a petition calling for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The petition had last gained six lakh members, and the website amassed 10 lakh membership signups.

(Ira Kharshikar is an intern with The Indian Express)