Get you up to speed: Cockroach Janta Party rallies at New Delhi for youth protests
Hundreds of supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to protest against the education system and demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The rally followed recent controversies related to exam paper leaks and technical issues affecting students.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has rapidly gained traction, amassing more than 22.2 million followers on Instagram within a week of its launch. The protest follows a series of exam-related controversies that began in May, including leaks and technical failures, which have stoked widespread dissatisfaction among the youth regarding India’s education system.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has yet to publicly respond to the demands for his resignation following the protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party. Meanwhile, police have enforced security measures in protest areas, signalling a cautious approach to potential dissent amid rising public discontent over India’s education system.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain how the Cockroach Janta Party’s digital success will impact its ability to sustain political mobilisation in the long term.
Cockroach Janta Party rallies in New Delhi to protest education issues
By WTX News Staff, AFP, AP and ReutersPublished On 6 Jun 20266 Jun 2026
At New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, India’s most famous protest strip, hundreds of mostly young people in cockroach masks and with dog-eared exam guides in hand tried to turn an online joke into a real-world force.
They call themselves the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) – a satirical “people’s party” born barely three weeks ago after India’s chief justice reportedly likened government critics and unemployed youth to “cockroaches” and “parasites”.
What began as a parody account and meme factory has since exploded into a channel for anger over exams, jobs and a fraying sense of economic promise.
On Saturday, that digital discontent stepped off the screen. Waving India’s national flag and clutching schoolbooks, the protesters demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after a string of exam paper leaks, technical glitches and cancelled tests.
For many, the fiasco over the NEET medical entrance exam – and reports of student suicides – symbolises a system young Indians say has no credibility left.
The CJP’s founder, 30-year-old political strategist and Boston University graduate Abhijeet Dipke, flew in from the United States to lead the rally, telling supporters that “cockroaches don’t ever fear.”
Police in riot gear and steel barricades underscored the risks of dissent in an era when large protests have often been met with crackdowns and criminal cases.
With more than 20 million followers on Instagram, CJP has already outgrown many mainstream parties online.
Its first street protest now tests whether self-deprecating memes and satire can be converted into a lasting organisation – and whether India’s anxious, hyper-connected youth can find a new political language for their frustration.
Hundreds of supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (Cockroach People’s Party, or CJP), a satirical social media movement in India, have gathered in New Delhi after weeks of grabbing news headlines. [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
The party, a play on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has attracted millions of online followers and widespread support among young Indians. [Arun Sankar/AFP]
On Saturday, hundreds gathered in New Delhi’s protest zone near parliament, with some participants wearing cockroach masks. [Manish Swarup/AP Photo]
Within a week of launching a website and social media accounts, CJP’s Instagram page soared and by Saturday had amassed more than 22.2 million followers, with the slogan: “A political front for the youth, by the youth, for the youth.” [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
For Saturday’s march, CJP organisers rallied supporters to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, after an exam irregularity controversy in May that quickly transformed into frustration over India’s education system and limited job opportunities. [Manish Swarup/AP Photo]
CJP supporters chanted slogans including: “Cockroaches are coming, Dharmendra Pradhan is going!” [Manish Swarup/AP Photo] Advertisement 
Organisers of the march encouraged participants to bring India’s national flag and a book, which they said symbolised the right to education and equal opportunity for all. They also urged demonstrators to remain peaceful and avoid any confrontations with police. [Manish Swarup/AP Photo]
The group’s rise echoes a similar trend across South Asia, where youth movements born out of social media have been crucial in antigovernment protests, particularly in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. [Manan Vatsyayana/AFP]
Some supporters of Modi’s party have dismissed the CJP as nothing more than a social media gimmick. They argue that the parody party’s social media success might not translate into political street mobilisation and that its rapid rise will likely be fleeting. [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]