NEW DELHI ¨C For those accustomed to viewing Indian democracy through the prism of grand electoral contests or warnings about institutional erosion, recent weeks have provided a refreshing demonstration of democracy¡¯s resilience. What began as provocative online satire exploded into one of the most remarkable ¡ª and successful ¡ª youth-led political movements in modern Indian history.
It started with an insult. In mid-May, during an open court hearing, Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant referred to some unemployed young people as ¡°cockroaches¡± and ¡°parasites.¡± Though Kant insists that he was referring only to those who use fake degrees to enter the legal profession, his comment struck a nerve in a country where tens of millions of educated young people have found themselves navigating an economic landscape marred by jobless growth.
Rather than succumbing to despair or quiet indignation, young people offered a satirical response to Kant¡¯s comments. Within 24 hours, the ¡°Cockroach Janta Party¡± ¡ª a play on the name of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ¡ª was born, with ¡°Voice of the Lazy & Unemployed¡± as its ironic tagline. Within a few days, the CJP emerged as a social-media juggernaut, amassing over 20 million followers ¡ª more than the official accounts of the established political machines, including the BJP.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.