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PoliticsIndia

Cockroach revolution turns on India's leader

06:35

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July 22, 2026

In India, senior government ministers met with members of the Cockroach Janta Party, but there has been no breakthrough in those talks. DW's Ben Fajzullin unpacks the biggest current challenge to Narendra Modi's power.

A violent police crackdown on a march on parliament in New Delhi has shocked India, with demonstrators demanding their democratic right to peaceful protest. The latest large-scale rallies were started by a youth-led movement called the Cockroach Janta Party, which reclaims a derogatory term allegedly used against them by the head of the judiciary. Thousands of Gen Z activists have propelled the online joke into a political powerhouse in protest against the reported suicides of about 20 students, who took their own lives due to the distress of canceled exams. After failing to bring about the dismissal of the education minister, they are now turning their ire towards the prime minister. DW's Ben Fajzullin unpacks the biggest current challenge to Narendra Modi's power with correspondent Shalu Yadav.

Ben Fajzullin DW Anchor & Correspondent, covers breaking news, global affairs and social issues.
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