New Delhi: A newly formed satirical political movement, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has witnessed a dramatic rise on social media, overtaking the Instagram following of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party within days of its launch.
By Thursday, the CJP’s Instagram account had crossed 10.9 million followers, surpassing the BJP’s 8.7 million followers on the platform. The achievement came just four days after the page went live, making it one of the fastest-growing political-themed accounts in recent memory.
What has drawn even greater attention online is the scale of engagement generated through minimal content. While the BJP’s official account has published more than 18,000 posts over the years, the CJP managed to attract its massive audience with fewer than 60 posts.
The initiative was launched by Abhijeet Dipke, a political communication strategist and student at Boston University. The movement reportedly emerged after controversial courtroom remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, in which unemployed youth were allegedly compared to “cockroaches” and “parasites.”
The remarks quickly triggered outrage and satire online, with users transforming the criticism into a digital protest movement. Supporters of the page began sharing memes, parody posters and slogans, including the viral phrase “Abki baar 10 million paar,” echoing the BJP’s well-known election campaign messaging.
Political observers say the phenomenon reflects the growing influence of internet culture and meme-driven activism among younger audiences. Although the BJP continues to remain India’s most electorally dominant political force and one of the world’s largest political organisations by membership, the sudden popularity of the CJP has sparked discussions about how digital humour can shape political conversations.
The online campaign has also received attention from opposition leaders, including Mahua Moitra of the All India Trinamool Congress and Akhilesh Yadav, president of the Samajwadi Party, both of whom have publicly reacted to the movement on social media platforms.
