India’s viral Cockroach Janta Party highlights Gen Z concerns

NEW DELHI: A newly formed social media group in India has rapidly gained traction online, drawing attention to concerns among young people over unemployment, inflation and political representation through a mix of satire and activism.

The Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, was created just days ago and has already gathered nearly 15 million followers on Instagram, according to Reuters. That figure is higher than the follower count of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party on the platform, which has fewer than nine million followers and describes itself as the world’s largest political party.

The group uses a logo showing the outline of a cockroach on a mobile phone and describes itself as the Voice of the Lazy and Unemployed. Its founder, 30-year-old Abhijeet Dipke, told Reuters the name was inspired by remarks made last week by Chief Justice Surya Kant, who compared some unemployed youth to cockroaches. Kant later clarified that he was not criticising young people generally, but referring to people with fake and bogus degrees whom he described as parasites.

Dipke, who has been based in Boston for the past two years, said the initiative was aimed at shifting the country’s political conversation toward younger people and their concerns.

“This is a movement to change the political discourse of India,” Dipke said from Boston, where he has been based for the last two years. “The youth of India has largely vanished from the mainstream political discourse. Nobody is talking about us. Nobody is listening to our issues or even trying to acknowledge our existence.”

Focus on jobs, prices and representation

The CJP’s Instagram page carries graphics and videos produced by members on issues ranging from media independence to a proposal that half the seats in parliament and the cabinet should be reserved for women. It has also addressed the recent cancellation of a national medical college entrance examination after a paper leak that affected around 2.3 million students.

Broader concerns among young Indians were also reflected in a Deloitte Global survey published this week. The survey said India’s Gen Z population, defined as those born between 1995 and 2007, had been significantly affected by limited job opportunities and rising prices.

The report stated: Gen Zs report higher financial stress, with a larger proportion highlighting home affordability challenges and financial insecurity.

India is the world’s most populous country and also has the largest youth population globally, with around 65 per cent of its 1.42 billion people under the age of 35. Government data cited by Reuters showed that the unemployment rate for people aged 15 and above stood at 3.1pc in 2025. Among those aged 15 to 29, however, the rate was 9.9pc, including 13.6pc in urban areas and 8.3pc in rural areas.

Experts cited by Reuters said many young people are worried the situation could worsen as artificial intelligence affects entry-level jobs in India’s large back-office sector. The Deloitte survey found that 54pc of Indian Gen Z respondents and 44pc of millennials in India had delayed major life decisions, including buying homes, because of economic concerns. The India sample included 806 respondents and formed part of a global survey of more than 14,000 people.

Membership surge and political questions

Dipke said more than 400,000 people had registered to become CJP members through a Google form, with over 70pc of them aged between 19 and 25. The group says prospective members must meet four standards: they should be unemployed, lazy, chronically online and able to rant professionally.

Dipke also cautioned against comparing the initiative with Gen Z-led street protests in Bangladesh and Nepal that toppled governments. He did not say whether there were plans to turn the platform into a formal political party.

“It has the potential to turn into a big political movement, it has the potential to change the politics of India,” he said. “And whatever we do, we will do within the rights of the constitution. We will do it in a very democratic and peaceful way. It won’t be something like we saw in Nepal or Bangladesh.”

Among those who have signed up is Siddharth Kanaujia, a 26-year-old from Lucknow, who said the platform was speaking to issues that matter to younger people.

“I really like the Cockroach Janta Party because in this country no one listens to the voice of the youth and there are not enough jobs for young people,” said Siddharth Kanaujia, a 26-year-old from the northern city of Lucknow who has signed up to become a CJP member. “But the party talks in the interest of the youth and raises the right issues. The cockroach reflects resilience, coming back strongly after every challenge.”