In India, tens of thousands of Gen Z protesters have taken to the streets of Delhi, demanding the resignation of the country's education minister. The movement, dubbed the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), started as a satirical online joke just a couple of months ago but has quickly become one of India's most visible youth movements. Despite its humorous origins, the CJP has become a lightning rod for disaffected young people in a country grappling with high youth unemployment.

Led by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old political communications strategist and Boston University alum, the movement began with a simple Google form that unexpectedly garnered tens of thousands of responses. On 20 July, the CJP marched to parliament, drawing tens of thousands in Delhi and hundreds more in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Goa. The protest gained added significance after activist Sonam Wangchuk, 59, went on hunger strike on 28 June in support of the CJP and was forcibly taken to hospital on Saturday, continuing his fast under medical supervision.

The movement's name is a pointed response to comments by India's Chief Justice Surya Kant, who allegedly compared unemployed youth drifting toward journalism and activism to cockroaches and parasites (he later clarified he meant people with fake degrees). It's also a parody of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Young volunteers have embraced the cockroach theme, dressing up as insects at clean-up drives and protests.

The CJP's core grievances center on India's education system, particularly the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the main medical college entrance exam. Nearly 2.28 million candidates sat for the notoriously difficult exam on 3 May, only for it to be cancelled days later due to allegations of leaked questions. The resit under tight security and reports of 20 student suicides linked to the exam's cancellation fueled outrage. The CJP is calling for an education system overhaul, greater accountability for exam leaks, and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Following Wangchuk's treatment, CJP leader Dipke also called for Modi's resignation.

Monday's protest was the largest against Modi's government in Delhi in recent years. Police used baton charges and tear gas after protesters tried to push through barricades, injuring scores including demonstrators and police. Authorities dismantled the stage and tents at Jantar Mantar, the protest's main base, but protesters continue to gather around the clock, braving rain and Delhi's sweltering heat. The movement has drawn support from opposition politicians including Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge, MP Mahua Moitra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who questioned Modi's silence over the crackdown.