What is the "People's Cockroach Party"?
It is the latest political phenomenon in India. The movement was created on May 16 on social networks under the satirical slogan "Voice of the lazy and unemployed".
In just three weeks, it went from a virtual joke to massive street protests. Today, their Instagram page has more than 22 million followers – far more than the Prime Minister's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Narendra Modi (9,5 million) and the main opposition (13,9 million), it says DW.
How did this unusual movement come about?
It all started in the courtroom of the Supreme Court of India. Court President Surya Kant, dismissing one lawsuit, sharply reprimanded lawyers and unemployed young people who criticize state institutions on the Internet. He compared them to "cockroaches and parasites."
This insult caused mass anger in the most populous country in the world, but also launched an avalanche of creative resistance. The youth immediately adopted the cockroach as their official sign of defiance.
Why did the movement become massive so quickly?
India has the largest youth population in the world - about 400 million. Generation Z is deeply disappointed with the current situation, and the "cockroaches" raised the issues that hurt them the most: problems in education and migration policy, as well as the lack of jobs.
Many of them are extremely critical of Modi's ruling party because of growing religious polarization, rising inequality and mounting economic pressures.
Who leads India's "cockroaches"?
Behind the movement is Abhijit Deepke (30), a digital communications strategist and graduate of Boston University. He was born in India, and has been living in the USA for the last two years. He points out that the party has nothing to do with old political blocs and wants to create a platform for millions of those who feel invisible.
"Among young people there is a feeling that the current political system simply does not care about them, whether it is the government or the opposition," Dipke said.
What is the program of this party and who can join?
The party does not care about religion, caste and gender, and the criteria for accepting members are pure satire - that is, the attributes that some politicians and civil servants attribute to young people:
- unemployment (forced or principled),
- laziness (physical inactivity),
- chronic presence on the Internet (at least 11 hours a day).
Sharp and honest skill in criticizing the system
However, their official manifesto contains very serious and radical demands:
- No rewards for judges: The President of the Supreme Court cannot get a seat in parliament after the end of his term.
- Equal opportunities for women: Half of the seats in parliament and 50% of all ministerial posts must go to women.
- Freedom of the media: Revoking the licenses of corporate media serving the authorities and investigating the bank accounts of regime journalists.
- End of political flight: Any MP who changes party is banned from politics for 20 years.
Why have the cockroaches hit the streets just now?
The movement first brought people to the streets of New Delhi on June 6 over a massive education scandal.
The national medical entrance exam was canceled amid suspicions that the tests had been leaked, but only after 2,2 million students had already taken the exam. The loss of hope in a fair system brought the masses to Parliament.
Demonstrators carried national flags and books chanting: "The cockroaches are coming, the minister is leaving!".
The government has been given seven days to remove the education minister, with the threat of protests spreading across the country.
Can this movement become a real political force?
The rise of this movement follows a broader trend in South Asia, where social media-led youth street protests have already changed regimes in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
However, the transition from social media to field organization will be a tough test.
Party registration in India requires strict bureaucracy, financial transparency and infrastructure. In addition, election regulations probably won't allow them to have the cockroach as the official logo on the ballots.
How do the authorities react?
Skeptics and supporters of Prime Minister Modi dismiss the movement as a passing Internet gimmick that lacks the power to mobilize people in the long run.
Some government officials even claim that "enemies from abroad" are behind everything, mentioning neighboring Pakistan or Soros.
Over the past decade, Modi's government has brutally suppressed protests by farmers and students by arresting activists, in what critics see as a clear attempt to silence dissent.
Cockroach as a symbol of rebellion
That's not new.
This insect has a long tradition in political rebellion. The famous song "La Cucaracha" (The Cockroach) was the anthem of the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920) and served to mock the corrupt president and general social disorder.
Also, in George Orwell's iconic "Animal Farm," the rebel animal anthem "Beasts of England" is described as a heartwarming tune that sounds exactly like a mix of an old ballad and "La Cucaracha." History repeats itself - what most scares people in power is not organized opposition, but collective ridicule that destroys the semblance of their authority.
Source: DW
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