It was created in response to remarks made on 15 May 2026 by Surya Kant, the Chief Justice of India, in which he referred to certain activists and unemployed youth as „cockroaches“ and „parasites of society“, sparking a widespread public reaction.[3] Kant later clarified that his remarks referred to some people obtaining fraudulent degrees and did not target India‘s youth, whom he called „the pillars of a developed India“.[4] The name is a wordplay parodying the ruling party in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party.[5]
Archiv: Cockroach Janta Party' (India)
India’s Cockroach Protests End as Modi Government Bows to Demands
Hundreds of thousands of these cockroach protesters had been assembling for over a month at Jantar Mantar, which is less than half a mile south of Connaught Place, the central market in the heart of Delhi. They were demanding the resignation of Pradhan, who is also a senior leader in India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the party of Modi. The protesters at Jantar Mantar consider Pradhan to be responsible for failing to prevent “paper leaks”—the unauthorized release of highly competitive national college entrance examinations, often hours and sometimes minutes before the exam is due.
The Jantar Mantar movement emerged in May in response to a leak of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the countrywide medical entrance exam. Reports suggest at least a dozen students across the country died by suicide after the tests were canceled.
‚Long way to go‘: What next for CJP leaders after Jantar Mantar protest
CJP leader Dipke said ending the protest did not mean the movement had ended. „This is just the beginning. The Cockroach Janata Party has a long way to go,“ he write on X.
He also demanded compensation for the families of students who died by suicide amid the examination controversy.
„Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned. But the families of the children who committed suicide should receive compensation of one crore rupees. They should get it. One crore rupees compensation to all those families,“ Dipke said.