Telugu Desam Party (TDP) State president Palla Srinivasa Rao on Sunday (May 24, 2026) said the ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ (CJP) social media movement reflected the aspirations and concerns of the youth, and should be taken seriously by policymakers.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had consistently worked for the youth through job creation, economic development, Digital India and efforts to attract global investments.

The emergence of such movements showed the need to keep reviewing policies to match the expectations of young people, he said. “We will certainly take the aspirations of the youth to our policymakers,” he said.

Mr. Rao cautioned that external forces could try to influence discussions on social media, and urged the youth to be careful and responsible online. Unemployment and certain public statements may have caused frustration among sections of the youth, he said.

“As an NDA partner, we are committed to policy-driven governance. Our common goal is to ensure better employment opportunities and a stronger future for the youth,” he said.

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The CJP movement began as a satirical online protest after a controversy over remarks linked to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant during a court hearing. While reprimanding an individual over a legal plea, the court reportedly referred to underemployed young social media activists as “cockroaches” and “parasites”.

The CJI later clarified that the remarks had been misquoted and were aimed only at individuals using fake law degrees. Gen Z and millennial users adopted the “cockroach” label as a badge of honour and created a satirical “political party” that quickly outpaced mainstream parties in online engagement.

Within a week, the movement gathered millions of followers and drew attention to problems in education and employment, before a sudden government crackdown.

(Inputs from ANI)