India’s “Cockroach Movement” Woke Up a Nation. But Is It Already Asleep Again?

India’s “Cockroach Movement” Woke Up a Nation. But Is It Already Asleep Again? By Ashish Malhotra This article was originally published by Truthout India’s Gen Z-led movement confronted Modi, but some see it as a missed opportunity for transformational change. Clad in a black T-shirt and sporting slightly unkempt hair, Abhijeet Dipke conducted the massive crowd in front of him (instagram.com › Da 2R2torcy). As they waved a sea of Indian flags to the beat of the music, he stood over them waving one back. The song they were all singing, “Maa Tujhe Salaam,” is one of India’s most patriotic, released by A.R. Rahman in 1997 to mark the country’s 50th year of independence (archive.ph › ZwwuV). And when it reached its bridge and chorus, Dipke held up a little red book: the founding document of that independence, the constitution of India. It was a poignant moment. Not just because the past 12 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule has threatened that constitution’s integrity (thewire.in) on multiple levels (democratic-erosion.org › democracy in decay). But also because it constituted an act of resistance against how Modi’s party has pushed a Hindu nationalist project that has marginalized the country’s minorities, as well as its secular fabric. Rahman is Muslim, and his song “Maa Tujhe Salaam” evokes memories of the pre-Modi years — a more inclusive time, when India’s diversity was celebrated rather than beaten down. The collective invocation of Rahman’s song became one of the more iconic moments of the largely Gen Z protest movement in India this summer, which has grown into what many feel is the most significant challenge Modi’s government has ever faced. “I think that was what was so beautiful,” said Aarti Neharsh, a protester who traveled from Mumbai to the capital New Delhi to be a part of the movement. Neharsh told Truthout that it stood out to her how many people were making overt displays of patriotism — something that in recent years has come with connotations of right-wing Hindu nationalism. “People were not shying away from it,” she said. “It genuinely felt like a reclaiming of these songs and phrases … I think that reminded people [the country] is worth fighting for, and this is what India should be.” What Started as Satire Grew Into a Movement But the movement that Dipke has been leading, which over the weekend forced the resignation of India’s education minister (cnn.com › india education minister resignation intl), was not sparked by these big-picture battles over what India represents. That story begins with a disparaging remark by Surya Kant, the chief justice of India’s Supreme Court, who in May referred to unemployed youth as parasites and cockroaches (thewire.in). Kant’s remark led Dipke, who was just a student in the U.S. at the time, to write on X (x.com): “What if all cockroaches come together?” The post went viral, and Dipke responded by jokingly creating the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) — a play on the name of Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The CJP website said membership (archive.ph › again) was open to the chronically online, lazy and unemployed — as well as those with “the ability to rant professionally.” But what started as satire then grew into something more because it tapped into genuine frustrations. Modi first won power based on a promise that “acche din (washingtonpost.com › modi ran aspiration he is running fear)” (good days) were coming. Over a decade later, many are still waiting. And nobody feels more in limbo than India’s 370