Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old Indian graduate living in Boston, never set out to launch a youth movement back home. But when India’s Chief Justice, Surya Kant, referred to certain unemployed young Indians as “cockroaches,” Dipke posted a response on X asking what might happen if all the cockroaches came together. The post went viral, and out of it grew the Cockroach Janta Party, a youth-led political movement.
Its emergence coincided with widespread anger after India’s government scrapped the results of a national medical entrance exam taken by millions of students, following an alleged leak of the question paper. More than 20 aspiring students reportedly died by suicide in the fallout. For many young Indians, the episode became yet another example of an education system where hard work doesn’t reliably translate into opportunity.
As the movement gained traction, Dipke flew back to India and began organising nationally, calling for the resignation of the education minister.
