Protests against India's Chief Justice who called the young generation "cockroaches"

A massive protest has erupted among the youth in India after Chief Justice Surya Kant referred to young people criticizing the government as "cockroaches" and "parasites" (although he later stated it was a remark taken out of context). A satirical post made on the 'X' social media platform in May by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old public relations graduate living in the United States seeking employment, marked the beginning of this student movement.

His question, "What if all the cockroaches unite?", quickly spread and has now transformed into a powerful wave of protests across India.

As a result of this online trend, a new movement called the 'Cockroach Janta Party' (CJP) emerged, satirizing India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to Dipke, approximately 5,000 people joined through a Google form online within two hours, and that number exceeded 30,000 within the first 24 hours. Currently, their Instagram account has garnered 22 million followers, notably surpassing the ruling party's follower count of 13 million.

This movement is primarily led by 'Gen Z' students in their 20s. Despite rapid economic growth, the struggle of millions of young people to find stable and well-paying jobs has been a major cause of this dissatisfaction. Additionally, alleged irregularities and paper leaks in major examinations in India, including the medical entrance exam, leading to re-examinations, have created deep frustration among students regarding the education system. Dipke states that they are dissatisfied with all political parties because no party listens to them.

Street protests are now taking place in several cities, including Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, initiated by Dipke, who returned to India from the United States on June 6. During a protest in Amritsar, he also displayed a placard featuring Shaheed Bhagat Singh. The primary demand of these protesters has become the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, accusing him of irregularities in the education system. Anjali, a 25-year-old Delhi University student from Bihar, states that what began as satire is a massive explosion of anger accumulated among the youth over the past decade.

Sonam Wangchuk, a 59-year-old veteran climate activist, has also joined this youth struggle and has been on a hunger strike since June 28. He hopes that the world's largest democratic government will respond sensitively to the voices of the youth. However, Dipke, who previously worked as a communication strategist for the opposition Aam Aadmi Party, emphasizes that he has no intention of turning the CJP movement into a political party. He states that forming a political party is futile in a context where elections and results are predetermined, and he will continue this movement against student anger and institutional fraud, further adding that there is no shortage of issues that need to be resolved in India.