India's 'Cockroach Janta Party' Youth Movement Surges to 23 Million Followers

The self‑styled Cockroach Janta Party positions itself as a campaign for Indian youth rights, aiming to curb teenage unemployment and challenge societal stagnation. Within days it amassed more than 23 million followers on social media and has become a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

Founder Abhijeet Dipke, a 30‑year‑old who has been living in the United States for two years, says he has received numerous death threats and that the movement’s Instagram account was hacked before being restored. The group remains banned on X, and Dipke says supporters want the effort to move beyond memes, though no decision has been made on registering as a political party. The rise of the movement has been noted against a backdrop of street unrest intensified by fuel shortages linked to the war in Iran.