Satirical Storm Sweeps Indian Politics

“India has a new political superstar – a cockroach,” screams a headline.  “Let the cockroach be,” counsels a newspaper editorial. A third one notes, in seeming disbelief, that the ‘metamorphosis’ of an online satirical post, meant as a joke, has taken on a life of its own.  

The cockroach is perhaps one of the most revealing metaphors of contemporary society.  It is hated. It survives all kinds of hostile environments. It lives almost unseen, underground, in hellish gutters, unhygienic crevices. It is ugly, unwanted. But it is said to have survived Empires. The satirical collective takes inspiration from the stubborn insect.

With a supposed anthem of its own, the “Cockroach Janata Party” (CJP) is not real. It is only a metaphor, a comment on the present times. Yet, many have ‘joined’ it. In a country where freedom came after a century-long struggle against the British, and where new ideas, thanks to traditional thinking, take a long time to percolate and gain acceptance, it has grabbed popular space in just one week.

The CJP is not a political party either. It is a digital storm. It is still ambivalent. But that does not take away its authenticity, its lucidity and originality.

The CJP is projected with an AI-generated human, donning a formal suit, with the head of a cockroach, complete with two antennae. It was created by Abhijeet Dipke, a political communications strategist who worked for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) before moving to the USA as a student at Boston University. He insists that the idea is a joke. He never expected it to explode into a public debate, going viral in the media, with many opposition parties and individuals endorsing it and dramatically joining it.  

It may be a temporary phenomenon, but as of now, millions have begun to view it through their own beliefs and say it openly on social media. The mainstream media, accused of its major players engaging in self-censorship, has also joined in, not accidentally, but editorially.

Having adopted, or adapted, the name of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which claims to be the world’s largest, the CJP’s website has 18 million viewers.

Its tongue-in-cheek membership criteria include being unemployed, lazy, chronically online and having “the ability to rant professionally.”

It began in response to an observation made by Chief Justice Surya Kant in the Supreme Court. During an open court hearing, he said that “parasites” were attacking the system, and equated the youngsters “who don’t get any employment and don’t have any place in a profession” to cockroaches.

“There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don’t get any employment or have any place in the profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, RTI activists and other activists, and they start attacking everyone,” he said.

Kant later clarified that his comment was related to some people acquiring fraudulent degrees and did not target India’s youth, whom he called “the pillars of a developed India.” He even said he had been ‘misquoted.’

Yet, his remarks drew considerable ire, mainly from Gen Z internet users, as they battled large-scale unemployment, inflation and bitter religious divides after 12 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Hindu nationalist” government.

The last round of elections has yielded mixed results, but consolidation for Modi and his party. Yet, this seems to be India’s answer to the Gen Z Movement in Nepal and youth-led protests in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in its neighborhood. Notably, protests there led to regime changes and elections, putting new sets of people in power. By contrast, the Indian polity, despite its many flaws and large-scale unemployment, has proved more resilient.

Surprisingly, usually nimble-footed and aggressive in responding to any criticism, the BJP, with its well-oiled network of spokespersons, has taken time to respond to this avalanche. The response is predictable, calling it “destabilizing’ and of “cross-border” origin.

Generally, the party vocally defends its government and attacks political opponents on the entire range of issues. Its silence was seen as tactical, with the hope that the controversy would die down.

But it is also being asked in some circles if the BJP thinks its task is to defend only the Executive, to the exclusion of other institutions established under the Constitution.

This has given the Opposition a field day. While Shashi Tharoor thinks the CJP has “touched a raw nerve” of the people, particularly the young, Yogendra Yadav says what began as a joke can evolve into a popular movement.

India has one of the world’s youngest populations, with roughly half its 1.4 billion people under 30 years. Yet formal political participation remains limited. A recent survey found that 29% of young Indians avoided political engagement altogether, while only 11% were members of a political party.

 “People are frustrated because they don’t feel heard or represented,” Dipke said.

 The slogan “MainbhiCockroach” reminds one of the anti-corruption movement of 2011 with many civil society groups participating. Much of it has dissipated and AAP, its political product, is on the back foot. Despite Dipke’s AAP past, it is doubtful if AAP has played any role.

The authority has finally struck. The CJP is being taken off social media platforms. The CJP’s X account, with more than 200,000 followers, is currently not visible in India, with people trying to view it being told that it has been withheld “in response to a legal demand.”

Dipke fears punishment, if not for himself, then for his family members back in Maharashtra.  As outrage escalated across social media, Dipke posted on X on May 23: “What if all cockroaches come together?” Later, he also posted that “We are back on Instagram! Have recovered the account.”

India’s political opposition remains divided. It remains to be seen if the ‘cockroach’ can bring it together.

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this article/column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of South Asian Herald.

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