Cockroach Janta Party surpasses BJP on Instagram: ‘Abki baar 10 million paar,’ jokes Internet
The CJP instagram account initially blew past 3 million Instgram followers within 78 hours and has since surged to over 9 million on 20 May making it perhaps the fastest-growing internet phenomena in Indian political discourse in recent times.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a viral political satire movement launched a few days ago, has crossed 9 million followers on Instagram. This is more followers than most of the mainstream political parties in India, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been in power at the centre since 2014.
The BJP’s official Instagram page @bjp4india has around 8.7 million followers while the Congress party’s handle @incindia has roughly 13.2 million followers as on 21 May. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party handle @aamaadmiparty has around 1.9 million followers.
The Cockroach Janata Party’s @cockroachjantaparty has crossed 9 million followers on Instagram on 20 May
The satirical political movement began on 16 May, as a viral youth-driven response to controversial remarks allegedly made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a court hearing. Its bio describes the campaign as “A political front of the youth, by the youth, for the youth.”
The Instagram handle was opened on 17 May, a day after the campaign started on X.
The account initially blew past 3 million Instgram followers within 78 hours and has since surged to over 9 million on 20 May. The CJP handle has 54 posts while BJP had shared over 18,000 posts on its Instagram handle so far.
The satirical platform focuses on channelling youth frustration, demanding political accountability, and addressing issues like unemployment and paper leak. This massive growth in about four days makes it perhaps the fastest-growing internet phenomena in Indian political discourse in recent times.
‘Don’t underestimate the power of youth,” the party’s social media said while sharing its Instagram feat crossing BJP, at least in followers on Instagram. “
‘World’s largest party they said,” it read.
The party has grown elsewhere on social media too. On X, where it actually started with a joke, the unofficial party has 165.5K followers as on 21 May.
With over 140 million (14 crore) members globally, the BJP is the largest political party in the world by primary membership. Founded in 1980, it is the dominant political party in India and currently leads the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition government at the centre for the third straight term with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm.
'Abki baar 10 million paar’
Internet responded with funny and serious comments on CJP surpassing BJP on Instagram. One user shared Urdu couplet ‘dekh raftar-e-inqalab 'firaq,' kitna ahista aur kitni tez.’ These lines by Firaq Gorakhpuri basically point towards a real change, loosely translating to ‘outwardly it may crawl for long stretches, but when conditions ripen it can surge rapidly.’
A user said ‘Picture abhi baki hai dosto’ which means best is yet to come. “Abki baar 10 million paar’ reminding of BJP’s 2024 election slogan, ‘Abki baar 400 (seats)paar.’
Some respondents wondered if this Instagram followership would mean anything when it comes to voting. ‘Bro is trying to win election on insta,’ a user said. To which a handle khayalipulao responded ‘wait and and watch.’
Akhilesh Yadav lends support
The Cockroach Janata Party is already become a big thing on the internet with politicians such as Akhilesh Yadav, Mahua Moitra backing it on social media.
The Cockroach Janta Party, a work of satire, was created by Abhijeet Dipke, who calls himself "Founding President" of "Cockroach Janta Party". Dipke is a 30-year-old Indian from Aurangabad in Maharashtra who just finished his Masters in Public Relations from Boston University in the USA. Dipke, 30, had earlier worked with the AAP as a volunteer in social media team of the party before moving to the US for studies.
How did Cockroach Janta Party start?
Dipke shared the invitation on 16 May, after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant sparked controversy over his ‘cockroach’ remark. In the post, Dipke said he was launching a new platform for all the ‘cockroaches’ out there.
“If you wish to join, hit the link below. Eligibility criteria: unemployed, lazy, chronically online, ability to rant professionally,” the post read.
Even after Justice Kant later clarified that his oral observations were directed at people using fake degrees to enter professions such as law and media — and not at unemployed youth — Dipke’s satirical post had already gone viral.
What began as an internet joke has since evolved into a full-fledged satirical online movement. The party has already crossed over 1.6 Lakh registrations on the website.
In a recent interview with LiveMint, Dipke had said he could be back in India and take this move forward depending on the feedback and suggestions he gets form those who have signed-up.
- The power of satire can engage youth in political discourse.
- Social media is a vital platform for political movements today.
- Follower counts on social media may not directly correlate with voting power.
About the Author
Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.
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