India’s viral ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ movement spreads to Pakistan
text_fields
The satirical “Cockroach Janta Party” movement that began in India has now inspired several similar accounts in Pakistan, with social media pages adopting the cockroach-themed political branding and messaging.
Multiple Pakistan-based accounts such as “Cockroach Awami Party”, “Cockroach Awami League” and “Muttahida Cockroach Movement” have appeared online in recent days. One account describes itself as “A political front of the youth, by the youth, for Pakistan”.
Another page states in its bio, “Jinhein system ne cockroach samjha, hum unhi awaam ki awaaz hain,” which translates to, “We are the voice of those people whom the system considered cockroaches.”
The Pakistani accounts use logos similar to the Indian Cockroach Janta Party, but with a green-and-white colour scheme. The branding positions them as alternatives to Pakistan’s major political parties, including Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, and Pakistan Peoples Party.
India’s Cockroach Janta Party was started by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old Indian student at Boston University and former political communications strategist with the Aam Aadmi Party. The movement has an official website and manifesto.
The Pakistani versions remain decentralised, with multiple independent creators running separate pages and accounts.
The movement in India emerged after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant referred to certain unemployed youth and activists as “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a Supreme Court hearing. He later clarified that he was referring to people entering professions using fake degrees.
Though not a formal political party, the Indian Cockroach Janta Party has gained massive traction online, with its Instagram account crossing 20 million followers within a week.
