India: Cockroaches end protest after education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns
Skip next section Where did the Cockroach Janta Party come from? 07/25/2026 July 25, 2026 Where did the Cockroach Janta Party come from? As the
Skip next section Where did the Cockroach Janta Party come from? 07/25/2026 July 25, 2026 Where did the Cockroach Janta Party come from? As the NEET-UG controversy was building, so was the accidental Cockroach Janta Party. That journey began when the Chief Justice of India ridiculed India's youth, likening them to "parasites and cockroaches." The judge has since said his words were taken out of context but it had already struck a cord among India's GenZ. Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old Indian who recently graduated from Boston University with a master's degree in public relations and political strategy, asked "what if all cockroaches came together?" He created a satirical party fashioned after the Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, and millions signed up on its website and social media.
Dipke successfully tapped into the frustration of young Indians who have long been facing irregularities in education and lack of job opportunities. Slowly, both merged and Dipke began speaking out about the NEET-UG controversy. Over a month ago, less than a hundred of Cockroach Janta Party members and supporters began camping at Jantar Mantar in the capital Delhi overnight. Protests continued but remained modest until Indian activist and educational reformist Sonam Wangchuk joined in to lend his popularity to the cause.
He began an indefinite hunger strike. By the 20th day of the hunger strike, attention on the protest grew. On the 21st day, Wangchuk was "forcefully" moved to a hospital by Delhi police. The visuals of Wangchuk's removal turned the proverbial spark into a fire. Hundreds of thousands of young Indians descended on central Delhi in a historical march to Parliament on Monday, July 20, when police eventually deployed tear gas and batons to stop them from reaching the building.
In less than a week, Pradhan resigned, and the movement said it was ending its protest after all its demands have been met.
The BriefWire