Cockroach Janata Party kicks off nationwide protest drive from Pune: Which cities are next?

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a mock political movement that has rapidly gained traction on social media, launched a nationwide protest campaign on Thursday, drawing hundreds of students and supporters to Savitribai Phule Pune University and escalating its demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities and paper leaks.

The Pune rally marked the movement's second major public demonstration after its first street protest in New Delhi last week. Organisers described the gathering as the beginning of a broader national mobilisation that will expand to multiple cities before culminating in a planned protest in the national capital later this month.

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Addressing supporters, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, a political communications strategist and student at Boston University, said Thursday's event was the start of a wider campaign aimed at holding the government accountable on issues affecting young people.

"The government cannot ignore the youth," Dipke, who recently returned from the United States to lead the campaign, told reporters.

He also warned that supporters would return to New Delhi if the education minister did not resign.

In a statement posted on X, the group announced a multi-city protest schedule, with demonstrations planned in Lucknow on June 12, Amritsar on June 13, Hyderabad on June 14 and Jaipur on June 15. It also called on young people from across the country to gather in Delhi on June 20 for what it described as a "massive protest".


"The entire country will unite to demand the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan," the organisation said.

The movement emerged in May after remarks by Supreme Court judge Surya Kant, who reportedly compared some unemployed youth to "cockroaches", sparked outrage online. Rather than rejecting the label, supporters adopted it as a symbol of resilience and defiance, helping transform the term into the centrepiece of a fast-growing political campaign.

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Since then, the CJP has expanded its focus beyond examination-related issues to include unemployment, rising living costs and government accountability. The movement has built a significant online following, claiming more than 22 million followers on Instagram.

Known for blending political criticism with self-deprecating humour, the group's supporters often jokingly describe themselves as unemployed and chronically online.

Videos, memes and satirical content targeting unemployment, corruption and political dysfunction have attracted millions of views, while numerous parody accounts have embraced the cockroach as a symbol of youth frustration and protest.