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It might sound humorous, even make it a “social media joke”! The last few weeks it’s been all over social media though. Millions of views, thousands of posts and all sorts of large statements for speaking for young people.
But once the movement went beyond social media into the streets, the story was different.
Hence, what is the Cockroach Janta Party? How did it start? Why is there a growing doubt about its actual effect now? Let’s find out.
In the past few years, there have been a number of controversies regarding competitive exams in India. Many students have written in frustration about paper leaks, cancelled exams, questions regarding results, transparency, etc.
These debates have centred on exams such as NEET, CUET, SSC or others.
A lot of students feel that the toils they are exerting are not yielding results and that their future is uncertain. During the increasing discontent, a new political party emerged on social media, which was named “Cockroach Janta Party.
It was initiated by Abhijeet Dipke who decided to adopt the cockroach as a symbol of resilience and survival. He says that a cockroach can survive in the toughest of times and never gives up.
He feels youth is beset by a lot of problems but is busy struggling for their future. This concept was used as the basis for the movement.
Initially many were taken aback by this as a joke. Memes were created, videos went viral and the weird name drew attention.
However, gradually the movement began to raise questions on education reforms, transparency in examinations, jobs and accountability of the authorities.
Its supporters said millions of people were supporting the movement online. Youth on social media indicated that they wanted change in the education system.Youth stated that they wanted change in the education system across the country (via social media posts).
It was time for movement to demonstrate its power in the field.
Protests have been called for in Delhi. A great number of students and youth were anticipated by the organizers.
At the actual time of the protest the number of people was less than anticipated.
Several journalists and eyewitnesses reported that only a small crowd was in attendance. In fact, some reports indicated that more journalists, camera crews and media personnel were in the venue than members of the movement.
This led to an intriguing query.
Is it better to be popular on social media or be popular in the public?
Can millions of likes, shares and comments really mobilize people to the streets?
It’s much easier to make a topic go viral online than it is to create a large public movement, experts say. Real motion demands organization, leadership and participation of individuals over an extended period of time.
So far, it looks like this is the hurdle the Cockroach Janta Party is facing.
It garnered a lot of attention online, but not as much support was visible during the protest.
But it is not a failure, the organizers say. They quote that this is just the beginning and that every large movement takes time to develop. They feel that there will be more pupils and young people to participate in the future.
Meanwhile, the movement has succeeded in initiating a nationwide debate on education, exams systems, paper leaks and the future of the young.
And maybe that’s its greatest triumph thus far.
Now the big question is:
Is it just going to be a viral social media movement or is it going to become a bigger movement and truly represent the voice of India’s youth?
Time will tell!
However, one thing is quite clear, this movement has again demonstrated the disparity between online popularity and real-world support.
What do you think? Is the Cockroach Janta Party a genuine voice for young people, or is it simply another social media trend?
Let us know in the comments.
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Thanks for the view! Goodbye.
