Can Cockroaches Really Survive In Indian Politics?

What started as a satirical online campaign in the aftermath of the sarcastic comments by the Chief Justice of India has transformed into a driving force behind the agitation led by thousands of youth ( Cockroaches ) over the NEET chaos and finally succeeded in the ouster of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan which is never before in Indian Politics.

Yes, most of the credit goes to the non conventional political outfit “Cockroach Janata Party,” which was at the forefront of the fight against the government in this entire saga. Now that the goal has been achieved, the immediate question that has been lingering around is whether the CJP will get inspired by this success and enter the real time political fray of India ?

When asked about full-time politics, CJP leaders said they have no immediate plans to start a party. One of its key members Ashutosh Ranka mentioned that he wants to go home, rest, and spend time with his family. Spokesperson Saurav Das explained that their main goal is to build a strong movement at the local level.

However, they also noted that in Indian politics, one should never rule out any future possibility. The leaders opined that existing political parties do not work well for the demands of young people. They want to pressure all political parties so that youth issues remain a central national priority.

Though it is too early to speculate about the future plans of CJP, one doubt that will take precedence over every other discussion is whether such an outfit can really survive in current political landscape or not ?

If we look at the history, movement-based groups often struggle when they try to win formal elections. Protesting against an issue is very different from facing real time politics.

India already has hundreds of active political parties competing for power across different regions. Winning elections requires huge money, thousands of local workers, and strong base at the grassroots.

Another major challenge is expanding their agenda beyond student exams and education issues. Indian voters choose leaders based on many factors like local development, jobs, economy, and community identity.

National parties like BJP and Congress have strong voter base and cadre across the country with commanding leaders and spokespersons, built on different ideologies.

Moreover, they are also backed by solid financial resources. Even though other popular outfits like Aam Aadmi Party tried to emerge as an alternative, their success was limited only to a state or two even after a decade since inception.

So, it is not going to be an easy sailing for new political parties to enter the scene and survive in the long term. And, CJP is no exception to this challenge.