Rising Youth Anger in India Signals a Shift

Rajdeep Sardesai Senior Journalist

Today the word cockroach is being discussed everywhere. But I have been using this word long before it became a part of our political lexicon. God forbid, if the world gets destroyed in a nuclear explosion tomorrow, only cockroaches will survive. From a great-survivor to a symbol of political resistance, cockroaches have come a long way.

The rise of the Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP, reflects growing public anger against a system that has become so broken that protesters have had to resort to the image of an insect to point to the threats looming on democracy. We are living in such a time in which leaders have started behaving like emperors and the opposition is not able to present any credible challenge. It is into this void that creeps the cockroach – a creature we have been taught to hate and fear, yet which has the ability to survive in the face of all adversity.

The fact that a satirical movement started by a relatively unknown political communication strategist sitting in an American university can suddenly create uneasiness in the corridors of power speaks volumes. After all, why should a powerful nation be concerned about the online agitation arising out of the Chief Justice’s unnecessary remarks? As if mocking India’s unemployed youth, the Chief Justice inadvertently sparked a sharp reaction: a digital rebellion driven by anger, alienation and sarcasm. Since then millions of young Indians have united around it.

What makes this whole incident particularly interesting is that CJP is not actually a political party. It has no leader, no office, no workforce, and no organizational structure. In a country of 1.5 billion people and of extraordinary diversity, a movement existing only in cyber-space should not in principle be a threat to the status quo. Why are we still feeling threatened?

CJP is being accused of being operated with foreign funding. It is being falsely claimed that many of its supporters are Pakistanis. His social media handles are being blocked. Some people even tried to prove him to be a proxy of Aam Aadmi Party. All this highlights a kind of skeptical mindset.

There are many reasons behind this nervousness. First of all, this is a period of controlling the narrative to a great extent. Governance in this era seems like a 24/7 advertising campaign: publicize achievements, suppress failures, change slogans and move on.

Crores of jobs that were promised have not been created, farmers’ incomes have not doubled, paper leaks continue – but narrative-management ensures that public perception outweighs performance. In such a situation, it may seem disturbing that these cockroaches of the Internet are refusing to follow any written script.

Secondly, the anger of the youth is important from the electoral point of view. Behind the high GDP growth figures and the noise of extreme nationalism, there exists a generation struggling with deep insecurity. Millions of educated youth are facing declining employment opportunities, increasing exam pressures and an economy where finding a permanent job is becoming increasingly distant. For many this disappointment has now become permanent. They feel that politicians see them only during elections and listen to them only when they protest. This anger is not just ideological, it is also personal in many ways.

This was also evident in the recent elections, especially in Tamil Nadu, where Vijay’s popularity attracted a large number of young voters fed up with traditional politics. Young voters across India are now increasingly rejecting old and entrenched political ideas.

They are looking for freshness, authenticity and emotional connection. Meme culture has become the language of their resistance. And remember that satire always proves to be a political weapon. Totalitarian systems find themselves surprisingly vulnerable to humor.

Young voters across India are now increasingly rejecting old and entrenched political ideas. They are looking for freshness, authenticity and emotional connection. Meme culture is becoming the language of their resistance. (These are the author’s own views)

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