Why Cockroach Janata Party is a wake-up call for entire political dispensation

Without getting into the politics of whodunit and why, the fact is that the overnight success of the Cockroach Janata Party is not just a statement on the ruling party but also on the state of affairs of the entire Opposition in India. Basically, it is a wake-up call from the youth for the entire political dispensation of India, day observers

The spectacular rise of a satirical effort, supposedly the “voice of the lazy and unemployed”, underlines the current disconnect between India’s politicians and the youth, observers say. In other words, it can be seen through “kotuhal ki drishti”, “the perspective of curiosity”, and brushed off as a joke, but there are good reasons why it needs more serious attention, and not just from the ruling BJP but the entire opposition, including AAP whose venture it is being alleged to be.

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The CJP (its success shows it deserves the acronym) is a satirical political movement founded as recently as around 16 May by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old based in the US known to be a part of Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP as it’s social media strategist.

Though according to Dipke nothing of this was planned and that it was organic, the fact is that what started as an organic reaction to Chief Justice Surya Kant’s courtroom remarks resulted in a brief five-point manifesto which found resounding traction among the youth.

Surpassing the ruling BJP’s follower count on Instagram in just four days, the manifesto highlighted shortcomings in the way the ruling party was managing things and also the opposition’s inability to channelise people’s voice on issues. “The success of the CJP can be broken down in multiple ways, but primarily it is a referendum on the current political situation,” admits a leader.

The digital movement was sparked when remarks by the Chief Justice of India (which he later clarified) were perceived as comparing unemployed youth to “cockroaches” and “parasites”. But the rapid gathering of lakhs of online and offline supporters highlighted the deep frustration in Gen Z with issues related to unemployment, paper leaks etc.

Ultimately, the resounding traction was seen as a proof of the feelings of crores of young voters regarding the ruling party and the mainstream opposition, which, too, was ineffective to voice their grievances. “Politicians need to recognise that the evolution of the CJP is a harsh reminder that both political sides have failed the youth,” observers add.

Meanwhile, some opposition leaders such as Shashi Tharoor and Priyanka Chaturvedi have openly acknowledged the CJP. Some also called the blocking of its handle on ‘X’ ” disastrous and not good for democracy.”

As it escalated from a viral meme to a political idea, the movement’s primary account was withheld in India by ‘X’. However, a couple of hours later, Dipke was back with a new handle, mocking the censorship attempt with a post.