What started as a satirical online movement in India is now spreading across the border, with several Pakistan-based social media accounts launching their own versions of the viral “Cockroach Janta Party” trend.
Inspired by India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which exploded online after launching on May 16, multiple satirical political pages have now surfaced in Pakistan using similar names, logos and messaging styles.
Among the names now circulating online are Cockroach Awami Party, Cockroach Awami League and Muttahida Cockroach Movement. Most of these pages present themselves as youth-driven digital movements challenging the political system through humour, memes and satire.
One page describes itself as “A political front of the youth, by the youth, for Pakistan”.
Another account writes in its bio, “Jinhein system ne cockroach samjha, hum unhi awaam ki awaaz hain” (We are the voice of those people whom the system considered cockroaches.)
Pakistani versions mirror India’s viral movement
The Pakistani pages use branding and logos very similar to the Indian Cockroach Janta Party, though many of them have adopted Pakistan’s green-and-white colour theme.
Observers online say the movement appears to position itself as a satirical alternative to Pakistan’s mainstream political parties including Imran Khan’s PTI, PML-N and PPP.
Unlike India’s Cockroach Janta Party, however, the Pakistani versions do not appear to have one central founder or official organisation. Instead, several creators are independently launching their own pages and meme campaigns under different names.
India’s Cockroach Janta Party was launched by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old Indian student at Boston University and former political communications strategist associated with Aam Aadmi Party.
The Indian campaign quickly transformed from an internet joke into one of the country’s biggest viral political satire movements, attracting millions of followers within days.
How the Cockroach Janta Party started
The original movement began after remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a Supreme Court hearing triggered outrage online.
“There are youngsters like cockroaches, they don’t get any employment, they don’t have any place in profession,” Kant said.
The comments led to massive online backlash, meme culture and eventually the creation of the Cockroach Janta Party.
The Chief Justice later clarified that he was referring to people entering professions using fake degrees and not unemployed youth in general.
Even though it is not officially registered as a political party, the Cockroach Janta Party has already become one of India’s most talked-about online movements, reportedly crossing more than 20 million Instagram followers within a week of launch.