23 May,2026 12:31 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Vir Das and Swara Bhasker (Pic/ Instagram account of Swara and Vir)
The rising popularity of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on social media has now attracted criticism and controversy. The party's unprecedented traction among young users has reportedly led to its Instagram account being hacked.
According to founding member Abhijeet Dipke, attempts have been made to silence the movement by targeting its online presence. Dipke claimed that the party's main Instagram account has been hacked, its X account has been withheld in India, and even its backup account has been taken down.
Amid the crackdown, several public figures have voiced support for the movement.
Comedian and actor Vir Das took to X to criticise the move, calling it an "utterly dumb" decision. Sharing his views, he wrote, "Whether the Cockroach Janta Party is a legitimate movement or not is not the question. Time will tell. But the traction they received, the sentiment behind it, the rhetoric from the youth, all legitimate. And if all that wasn't legit enough, the utterly dumb move of shutting down their accounts legitimised everything."
Actor Swara Bhasker also reacted to reports of the alleged crackdown by resharing Dipke's post on X and writing, "Wow!! Darr ka rang aisa hota hai."
Dipke had earlier shared a screenshot showing the CJP X account being withheld in India due to a "legal demand." The post read, "As expected, Cockroach Janta Party's account has been withheld in India."
Singer Chinmayi also questioned the action and reposted the update, asking, "Why is Cockroach Janta Party withheld in India?"
The Cockroach Janta Party and the National Parasitic Front have recently gone viral online for blending meme culture with satirical political commentary. Though clearly parody movements, their growing popularity appears to reflect genuine frustrations among young Indians around unemployment, financial insecurity and the disconnect in online political discourse.
The trend reportedly gained momentum after controversial remarks attributed to Supreme Court judge Surya Kant, who allegedly compared certain unemployed youth to "cockroaches" and "parasites" during court observations. The comments sparked strong reactions online and eventually evolved into a meme-driven protest movement.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) describes itself as the "Voice of the Lazy and Unemployed" and humorously claims its headquarters is located "wherever the WiFi works." Its online presence combines political satire, internet humour and meme culture, which has helped it resonate widely with younger audiences.
