How did the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ take on Modi — and win?

India’s ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ protest movement has secured a rare victory, forcing the Modi government to back down after weeks of youth-led demonstrations over the country’s exam scandal. 

ACLED’s South Asia Senior Analyst Pearl Pandya, said: 

“On Saturday, India’s Gen-Z protest movement, advocating for reforms in the higher education sector, achieved a major victory in the form of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation – only the second ministerial resignation due to public pressure in 12 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. This was a rare concession to the scale of the discontent among India’s youth.

“In the last week alone, ACLED data show more than 400 protests across India organized by, and in solidarity with, the youth. These protests were recorded in each of the country’s 28 states and six of its eight union territories (see map below), encompassing the length and breadth of the country. The movement escalated after 20 July, when the police cracked down upon protesters in New Delhi using batons, tear gas and pellet guns. Subsequent protests also condemned the police repression, and the overwhelming majority of the protests across the country remained peaceful.

“The Cockroach Janta Party, which emerged as the face of the movement, called off the protests after the ministerial resignation. The repercussions, however, are likely to be deeper. The irreverence shown by the protesters has resolutely dented the atmosphere of fear and self-censorship around criticizing Modi, whose formidable electoral successes had seemingly brought his government immunity from public scrutiny. While the issue of education was quite unique in its mass resonance and the protests’ success may not be as easily replicated again, there may now be an expectation of accountability from the government as a whole going forward, which will be harder to bypass. For their part, India’s opposition parties will seek to tap into this popular discontent ahead of key state elections next year, and hope to direct the ire toward Modi by the 2029 general elections – an undertaking made easier by Modi’s centralizing tendencies.”