As the NEET-UG controversy was growing, the accidental cockroach Janata Party was also being formed.
That journey began when the Chief Justice of India ridiculed India’s youth and compared them to “parasites and cockroaches”. The judge has since said that his words were taken out of context, but it had already struck a chord among India’s GenZ.
Abhijeet Dupke, a 30-year-old Indian who recently graduated from Boston University with a master’s degree in public relations and political strategy, asked, “What would happen if all the cockroaches came together?”
He created a satirical party on the lines of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and millions of people signed up on his website and social media. Dipke successfully tapped into the frustration of young Indians who had long been facing irregularities in education and lack of job opportunities.
Gradually both of them merged and Deepke started speaking on the NEET-UG controversy. A month ago, less than a hundred members and supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party started camping overnight at Jantar Mantar in the capital Delhi.
Protests continued but were tempered until Indian activist and educational reformist Sonam Wangchuk joined the issue to increase her popularity. He started an indefinite hunger strike.
By the 20th day of the hunger strike, attention to the protest increased. On the 21st, Wangchuk was “forcibly” taken to the hospital by Delhi Police. The scenes of Wangchuk’s removal turned the proverbial spark into a fire.
Thousands of young Indians descended on central Delhi in a historic march to Parliament on Monday, July 20, when police ultimately deployed tear gas and batons to prevent them from reaching the building.
Less than a week later, Pradhan resigned, and the movement said it was ending its protest after all its demands were met.