"The Cockroaches Are Coming"... Gen Z Group Shakes India with First Street Protest

Chief Justice's Remarks Ignite Collective Action from Discontented Youth
Cockroach People's Party Instagram Surpasses 22 Million Followers
Youth Express Frustration Over Unemployment and Lack of Opportunity

In India, the youth political movement group "Cockroach People's Party (CJP)," which emerged following remarks made by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, staged its first street protest. The movement, which began online, has since spread to offline rallies, amplifying calls for the resignation of the Minister of Education.

On June 7 (local time), news agencies including AP and AFP reported that hundreds of CJP supporters held a protest the previous day near the parliament in New Delhi, the capital. Participants wore paper cockroach masks, carried Indian flags and books, and chanted slogans such as "The cockroaches are coming" and "Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must resign."

Logo of the Cockroach People's Party (CJP). Screenshot from the CJP homepage

The CJP was established last month, immediately after Indian Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant made remarks comparing unemployed youth to cockroaches. Chief Justice Kant criticized some young people, saying, "There are young people who are like cockroaches, with neither jobs nor a professional field," which sparked significant backlash. Although he later explained that his comments were meant to refer to those holding fake law degrees, the controversy did not subside easily. In response, young people rallied around the term used to mock them, adopting it as their group’s name, and rapidly expanded their following, especially through social networking services (SNS).

The official CJP Instagram account currently has about 22 million followers, a number that far surpasses that of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s official account. Abhijit Deepke, the India-born founder of the organization, stated, "This is a movement to change the political discourse in India."

This protest was organized in response to last month’s medical school entrance exam question leak scandal, in which 2.2 million candidates across India took the test. In a statement, CJP demanded that Minister Pradhan voluntarily resign within one week or be dismissed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, warning that if no action is taken, the movement will be expanded nationwide.

The founder of the Cockroach People's Party (CJP), Abhijit Deepke (center), is delivering a speech in front of supporters during a protest rally held in New Delhi, India. New Delhi=Yonhap News Agency

Both inside and outside the political sphere, observers note that this movement is more than just an online trend—it is seen as an example of the frustrations of the younger generation manifesting through collective action. Mansi Sehgal, a protest participant, said, "The exam leak was the trigger, but the bigger issue is that the younger generation has had little space to express themselves," adding, "CJP is fulfilling exactly that role."

Experts analyze that the surge in popularity of the CJP is rooted in dissatisfaction with youth unemployment and a lack of opportunities. In India, the world’s most populous country, there are about 400 million people aged 15 to 29, yet the urban youth unemployment rate stood at 14% as of April.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.