The recent presence of large-scale protests in New Delhi have revealed many Indians’ concerns about the country’s voting rights and the state of the national economy. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is the main force behind these protests.
The CJP is a satirical political movement created in response to a speech from India’s Chief Justice, Surya Kant, in which he allegedly referred to young, unemployed Indians as “cockroaches.” Kant maintains that he was referring to people holding fraudulent degrees, not the unemployed population, but unrest grew within the country regardless.
Led by 31-year-old Abhijeet Dipke, the CJP has been holding protests in New Delhi since June. In an early protest, students called for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for a lack of transparency in important nationwide examinations. Pradhan resigned on July 25.
On Oct. 10, the CJP tried to hold a protest in New Delhi over the revision of voter lists. CJP leaders and other demonstrators were arrested before the protest could fully begin.
The current protests are happening over concerns about voter suppression. Over 130 million people were removed from the voting lists. Minority groups, especially Muslims, and supporters of opposition parties have been disproportionately affected, according to AP News.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who has denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the government’s goal was only to remove people who were ineligible to vote.
On Oct. 13, several CJP members entered Jantar Mantar, a former protest site that was delisted by the government. They waved the Indian tricolor and chanted slogans in protest of the decision to prohibit protesters from gathering at the location. On Oct. 21, they were released on the condition that they would not call for any more protests at Jantar Mantar.
Over the past several weeks, protests have spread to most of the other states and union territories in India, and cities like Mumbai, Chennai, and Bengaluru have seen similar protests to the ones in New Delhi. Thousands of protesters have been arrested all over the country.
United Nations experts have criticized Indian law enforcement for the violent response to the protests. They have condemned the officers’ use of digital surveillance and mass arrests, and they have highlighted reports of acts of sexual violence being committed against protestors as well, according to Al Jazeera. The Indian government has rebuked the UN in response to these criticisms, and claims that the UN is trying to interfere in India’s domestic affairs.
These protests are a rare challenge to Prime Minister Nahendra Modi’s rule. Modi is a proponent of Hindu nationalism, and is popular among India’s majority-Hindu population. One poll from April puts Modi’s approval rating at a whopping 70%, higher than almost all other world leaders. In a country of over 1.4 billion people, this still leaves hundreds of millions of people who are not so impressed with his leadership. Over the past few months, these dissenters have been making themselves heard.
