00:00The Cockroach Janata Party is a viral satirical movement giving Gen Z Indians a way to wend their frustration with
00:05the political establishment in the country.
00:08It's a direct jab at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bhartya Janata Party, or BGP.
00:13And in just a week, it has reportedly amassed more Instagram followers than the BGP itself.
00:20So, one must wonder why Cockroaches?
00:23On May 15, India's senior most judge compared unemployed youngsters to Cockroaches and Parasites who he said couldn't find work
00:30and instead chose to attack the system.
00:34He later said he had been misquoted.
00:36However, young Indians took that personally and the movement began with a single post from Abhijir Dipke, a 30-year
00:44-old communications strategist who has worked with Modi's opposition.
00:48Five years ago, nobody was ready to speak up against Modi or the government.
00:51The times are changing.
00:54Now they are getting vocal.
00:55So, from being afraid of speaking up to getting to a point where they are actually making fun of the
01:01government, mocking the government.
01:02And the frustration is not coming out of nowhere.
01:05India is one of the youngest countries in the world with nearly half of its 1.4 billion people under
01:1130.
01:11But the jobs have just not kept pace.
01:142004 onwards, till 2023, India added about 5 million graduates every year.
01:20But only over half of them found a job, according to data by Azeem Priyamji University.
01:26Modi came to power in 2014 promising jobs.
01:29A decade later, economic growth has just not translated into enough employment for young people.
01:34The CGP calls itself the voice of the lazy and unemployed.
01:38Most of it exists through memes, jokes and political trolling.
01:42But behind the humour is a very real anger from young Indians who just feel unseen.
01:48The original CGP account on X was also withheld in India on Thursday.
01:52Some media reports said that the government had asked the platform to block the account, citing national security concerns.
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