India's Cockroach Janata Party Protests, Demands Education Minister's Resignation

New Delhi. Supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a political campaign born out of mockery and despair in India, are continuing their sit-in protest in the capital New Delhi, demanding the resignation of India's Education Minister. Defying police orders, protesters are spending nights on roads and footpaths.

More young people have joined the protest, which began in the scorching heat of June. Abhijit Dipke, a leader of the movement, has returned to India and brought the movement, which was limited to social media, to the streets. Nearly half of India's 1.4 billion population is under 25 years old.

In recent years, widespread dissatisfaction has been created among students and youth due to exam paper leaks, errors in results, and irregularities. Using this anger and dissatisfaction as a basis, the Cockroach Janata Party is demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

This movement initially appeared as satire and mockery on social media. After widespread dissatisfaction was expressed over a statement by India's Chief Justice in May comparing young people to 'cockroaches', Dipke commented on social media X, 'What if all cockroaches unite?' The post quickly went viral.

After that, Dipke launched the official website of the movement, and its Instagram follower count is said to have exceeded 22 million. It is claimed that this is more than the follower count of India's ruling party on social media.

After holding the first protest in New Delhi on June 6, Dipke has expanded the movement to cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Nagpur, where hundreds of young people have participated.