- The Cockroach Janta Party satire from India has inspired similar accounts in Pakistan
- Pakistani versions include Cockroach Awami Party and Muttahida Cockroach Movement
- India’s Cockroach Janata Party gained over 20 million Instagram followers within a week of its launch
The viral cockroach movement that began as a satire in India seems to have transcended the border and infested the Pakistani political scene. Pakistani social media is witnessing the emergence of accounts inspired by India's Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which took the internet by storm soon after it was launched on May 16.
The satirical collective in India, which takes its inspiration from the insect - stubborn, hard to kill and quick to multiply - has attracted millions of online followers in less than a week.
There are many versions of the Cockroach Janta Party in Pakistan, such as Cockroach Awami Party, Cockroach Awami League and Muttahida Cockroach Movement. The bio of the Cockroach Awami Party reads, "A political front of the youth, by the youth, for Pakistan".
A similar account's bio reads, "Jinhein system ne cockroach samjha, hum unhi awaam ki awaaz hain" (We are the voice of those people whom the system considered cockroaches.)
The logo of these pages closely mirrors that of its Indian counterpart, though it adopts a green-and-white colour scheme, a deliberate branding choice that positions it as a distinct alternative to established political forces such as Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Who Started Cockroach Janata Party?
India's Cockroach Janta Party has a founder, Abhijeet Dipke, who is a 30-year-old Indian student at Boston University in the United States. He has formerly worked with the Aam Aadmi Party as a political communications strategist. The party also has a manifesto and an official website.
However, the Pakistani counterparts remain considerably more decentralised, with multiple independent creators each establishing their own distinct versions of the movement.
The Cockroach Janta Party started after the Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant, compared unemployed youth and activists to "cockroaches" and "parasites" during a Supreme Court hearing.
"There are youngsters like cockroaches, they don't get any employment, they don't have any place in profession," Kant said. However, he later clarified, saying that he was referring to people who enter professions by using a fake degree.
While not a formal political party, the Cockroach Janta Party has already amassed over 20 million Instagram followers in less than a week.
