Cockroach Janta Party:
The Central Government used Section 69A of the IT Act to block the website and social media handles of the newly formed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
- The satirical online movement, launched by a 30-year-old student after a CJI courtroom remark, gained over 2 crore followers by tapping Gen Z anger over NEET leaks and unemployment.
- Gen Z and Democracy represents the evolving relationship between the youngest voting cohort (born roughly between 1997 and 2012) and established democratic institutions.
- Unlike previous generations whose political lives began with physical, grassroots mobilization, Gen Z experiences democracy as a digital-first, heavily networked phenomenon.
- Role of Social Media in Strengthening Democracy:
- Instantaneous Democratization of Dissent: Social media allows marginalized youth to bypass elite media gatekeepers and broadcast real-time grievances to a massive audience.
- Low-CostPolitical Mobilization: It eliminates the heavy financial barriers historically required to build a political movement, allowing organic ideas to scale rapidly.
- Rapid Amplification of Governance Failures: Digital platforms serve as a hyper-vigilant civic audit tool, exposing institutional corruption or policy lapses instantly.
- Fostering Decentralized Global Solidarity: Connects localized youth struggles to international human rights standards and successful global resistance models.
- Promoting Creative Political Engagement: Replaces dry, unengaging policy text with creative political satire and visual storytelling, making civic awareness accessible to the masses.
