India's youth form 'Cockroach Party' amid job crisis

A new political entity, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has emerged in India, adopting a name that ironically references the commonly disliked insect and a distorted version of "Janta," meaning "people." This new party aims to capture the sentiments of India's educated but unemployed youth. These young individuals, often educated through family sacrifices, feel shut out of stable jobs despite the country's rapid economic growth. They express frustration over persistent unemployment and low wages, with little prospect for advancement.

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The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) – that's the ironic official English name of the new group. The irony lies not only in the use of the name of a commonly hated insect but also in the distorted word 'Janta' instead of 'Janata'. Both mean people.

The CJP's emergence mirrors a trend seen globally, where young people in countries like Madagascar, Nepal, Morocco, and Peru have taken to the streets. Their protests target elite corruption, police brutality, lack of opportunity, and economic disparities. These movements have led to political shifts, such as the election of a rapper-politician in Nepal and the ousting of a long-standing ruling party in Bangladesh following youth-led protests.

In India, the current wave of youth discontent began in May with protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The situation escalated with a scandal involving leaked medical entrance exam papers. Over two million candidates, many having prepared for years at significant cost, faced an invalidated exam after paper leaks were discovered. The leaked papers were reportedly sold for around 30,000 rupees ($360). The news of a re-examination led to at least a dozen candidates committing suicide.

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In India, it started in May this year with youth protests at Jantar Mantar square, one of the few places in the Indian capital where authorities permit mass protests.

Protesters at Jantar Mantar demanded the education minister's resignation, and a march by thousands of young people ended in clashes with the police. The party's name, "Cockroach Janta Party," was inspired by a Supreme Court judge's comparison of protesting youth to cockroaches. Within weeks of its founding, the CJP's Instagram profile gained 22 million followers, double that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

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The exam was invalidated because it turned out that a package of exam topics was offered online for 30,000 rupees, or about 1,200 PLN.

However, the article suggests that drawing sweeping conclusions from these protests and the new party's social media traction may be premature. The ruling BJP and Prime Minister Modi continue to enjoy considerable popularity and even increasing support. It remains unlikely that the youth protests or the formation of the CJP will coalesce into a major social movement comparable to those seen in Nepal or Bangladesh.

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Upon hearing about the need to retake the exams, at least a dozen candidates committed suicide.