Last week, Supreme Court Chief Justice Suryakant sparked a massive controversy when he compared some Indian youth to cockroaches and parasites during a hearing on fake educational certificates. His remarks, made on May 15 while the court was considering petitions related to fraudulent degrees, triggered widespread outrage across the country.

In response to the Chief Justice’s remarks, a satirical political movement called the “Cockroach Janata Party” (CJP) was born on X (formerly Twitter). The party’s slogan is “For the youth, by the youth,” and it describes itself as secular, socialist, democratic, and lazy. Its official website calls CJP the “voice of the unemployed, the lazy, and those the system forgot to notice.”

The party has a detailed manifesto that includes several bold demands: 50% reservation for women in cabinet positions, a 20-year election ban for MLAs and MPs who switch parties, prohibition of Rajya Sabha nominations for retired Chief Justices, and investigations into the bank accounts of Godi Media anchors. It also calls for stringent action when eligible votes are wrongfully rejected during elections.

Founder Abhijith Dike, a 30-year-old Public Relations student at Boston University, previously worked with the Aam Aadmi Party’s social media team from 2020 to 2023. He shared a Google Form on X inviting people to join the movement, stating that anyone who is unemployed, lazy, spends time online, or can speak openly can be part of this collective.

The movement gained rapid traction, amassing over 15,000 followers on X within 24 hours. The group later announced that a thousand members had joined the unofficial political front. Trinamool Congress leaders Mahua Moitra and Kirti Azad also joined the party on Monday, giving it further political credibility.

As the controversy escalated, Chief Justice Suryakant issued a clarification, stating that his observations were misquoted by a section of the media. He explained that his remarks were directed at people using fake certificates, not at Indian youth in general. “I am pained that my oral observations during a trivial case were misquoted by a section of the media,” he said.

However, concerns remain about the movement’s longevity. Many observers draw parallels to the Anna Hazare anti-corruption movement, which faded into silence after the BJP government came to power in 2014, questioning whether CJP will follow the same trajectory.