12 Million Followers in 4 Days: How Cockroach Janta Party Surpassed BJP on Instagram
A cockroach is now bigger than the BJP.
Not in politics. On Instagram.
A satirical page called Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) crossed 12 million followers in just four days. It left the BJP’s official handle behind at 8.7 million.
It started with one remark from a judge. And exploded into one of India’s biggest online movements.
Here is the full story.
The Remark That Started It All
On May 15, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant commented during a court hearing.
He said there are “youngsters like cockroaches” who enter professions without proper qualifications.
The words spread like fire.
Young Indians — already frustrated with unemployment, paper leaks, and a tough job market — saw it as an insult. Within hours, #MainBhiCockroach was trending.
The CJI later clarified that he was referring to people with fake degrees. He called India’s youth “the pillars of a developed India.”
But the damage was done. Or rather, the movement had begun.
One Man, One Post, 12 Million Followers
Abhijeet Dipke is 30 years old.
He studied journalism in Pune. He is currently doing a Master’s in Public Relations at Boston University. Between 2020 and 2023, he volunteered with the AAP’s social media team in Delhi.
On May 16, he posted a joke on X.
“All cockroaches, assemble,” he wrote. He invited unemployed, chronically online Indians to join a new “party.”
The post went viral.
On May 17, he opened an Instagram handle: @cockroachjantaparty.
By May 20 — just 78 hours later — the page had 3 million followers. By evening, it crossed 9 million. By May 21, it hit 12 million.
All with just 54 posts.
Compare that to the BJP’s official account: 18,000+ posts, years of building, and 8.7 million followers.
A page run by one student surpassed a party that governs the world’s most populous nation.
The Numbers That Shock Everyone
| Handle | Followers | Posts |
| Congress (@incindia) | 13.2 million | — |
| CJP | 12 million | 54 |
| BJP (@bjp4india) | 8.7 million | 18,000+ |
| AAP | 1.9 million | — |
That is the scale of what happened.
CJP is now just 1.2 million followers away from catching up with the Congress party.
What This Party Actually Wants
The bio says: “A political front of the youth, by the youth, for the youth.”
The membership criteria are a joke that tells a serious truth:
- Be unemployed
- Be lazy
- Be chronically online
- Have the “ability to rant professionally.”
But behind the satire, there is a real manifesto.
The five core demands:
- 50% reservation for women in all Cabinet positions
- 20-year ban on MLAs and MPs who switch parties after being elected
- Investigate the accounts of “Godi Media” anchors
- UAPA action against the Chief Election Commissioner if legitimate votes are deleted
- Bar retired CJIs from accepting Rajya Sabha appointments
As their manifesto puts it: “We are not here to set up another PM CARES. We are here to ask — loudly, repeatedly, in writing — where the money went.”
Who Is Backing This?
CJP is satirical. But some real politicians have jumped on board.
Mahua Moitra (TMC) expressed interest in joining. CJP welcomed her.
Kirti Azad (TMC, 1983 World Cup winner) asked if he was qualified. CJP replied: “Winning the 1983 World Cup is qualification enough.”
Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party) publicly backed the movement.
Even a counter-movement has emerged — called the “National Parasitic Front” — mocking the CJP in return.
Why This Matters
This is not just a funny Instagram story.
It reveals something real about India’s young population.
There are over 600 million Indians under 25. Youth unemployment is a persistent crisis. Exam paper leaks have become routine. Job creation is not keeping up with aspirations.
When a Chief Justice calls you a cockroach — even if he meant something else — it becomes a symbol.
The Cockroach Janta Party is not a real political party. It will not contest elections. But the anger behind it is real.
12 million people followed a joke in four days. That is the sound of frustration going viral.
What Abhijeet Dipke Says
“CJP expresses the dissent of young people against the statement made by the CJI. It was unacceptable in a democracy where the CJI of the Supreme Court, who is supposed to be the custodian of the Constitution and free speech, demeaned young people for their criticism.”
He said young Indians want a political language that reflects “their humour, frustrations, and internet culture.”
The Bottom Line
Internet movements in India have a short shelf life. Memes fade. Attention moves on.
But 12 million people in four days is not normal. It is a signal. Whether it becomes a real force or fizzles out depends on what Dipke does next.
For now, a cockroach is bigger than the BJP.
And India’s political class is paying attention.
After all, you cannot ignore 12 million people who say: “Main Bhi Cockroach.”
