RSS leader Sunil Ambekar weighs in on viral Cockroach Janta Party, says Gen Z has 'tremendous faith' in India

RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar has weighed in on the rapidly growing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) that emerged as the voice of Gen Z, a viral social media phenomenon that has overtaken Indian political parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The RSS leader said that public debate, criticism and differing opinions are a normal part of a healthy democracy and should not cause alarm. He also said that Gen Z had “tremendous faith in India” and was very "hopeful".

The remarks come as the satirical online movement continues to dominate social media conversations, attracting millions of followers and triggering political debate across the country.

India, a healthy democracy

Speaking to reporters, RSS Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar said India's democratic system is strong enough to accommodate a wide range of views and opinions.

In what is being seen as RSS's most direct response yet to the controversy surrounding the Cockroach Janta Party, which became a phenomenon after the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant described unemployed youth as "cockroaches". Notably, the CJI later clarified that his comments had been misquoted and were aimed at people holding fake degrees; the issue had already evolved into a major online movement.

"We are an aware society and we follow the democratic process. Within that democratic process, we have transparent elections, an open media, and now social media as well. Open forums take place every day. So, I believe that in a democracy, any kind of discussion and people expressing differing opinions should not be taken as a shock. They should be considered a part of the normal process," Ambekar said.

Cockroach Janta Party's alleged Pakistan links

Since the CJP's launch, some BJP leaders have questioned the party's intentions. Additionally, accusations of foreign influence and alleged Pakistani links have also been circulating online. Some users claimed that "citizens from Pakistan, Bangladesh and the USA form 77% of their Instagram followers," while "India contributes only 9%." Slamming trolls, Dipke shared a screenshot of the account's audience breakdown, which showed that Indians make up 94.7 per cent of its followers. The Cockroach Janta Party founder questioned: "Why would you call 94% of Indian youth Pakistanis?"

Separately, the group's X account remains blocked, despite a plea in the Delhi High Court. On Friday (May 29) the High Court refused to order the immediate restoration of the X account. While hearing a plea by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke challenging the blocking of the party's X handle by the government on national security grounds, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav directed a review panel to examine the matter.

What did Ambekar say about Gen Z?

Praising India's youth, Ambekar said that the younger generation remains hopeful about the nation's future. He insisted that whatever the issue, there are democratic ways to raise it.

"Our younger generation, sometimes called Gen Z, is very hopeful. They have tremendous faith in India. Whatever they do is within the constitutional process. Their contribution is towards taking India forward. The youth of our country have invested all their energy into this, and that is why the nation is progressing in every field," he said.