NEW DELHI (AP) — Young Indian Protesters mock their government. And the jokes land.
Thousands of protesters are taking to the streets of the Indian capital and waging a parallel campaign online, flooding social media with memes, parody videos and self-deprecating jokes.
Protesters take part in a demonstration demanding education reform as part of the ongoing Tarakan Janta Party protest movement in New Delhi, India, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Verda Subzwari)
Protesters take part in a demonstration demanding education reform as part of the ongoing Tarakan Janta Party protest movement in New Delhi, India, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Verda Subzwari)
Add AP News to Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share More
At the same time they still beat Narendra Modi – a powerful but image-conscious prime minister – at his own game.
Modi has built his political brand through social media. Now protesters are using the same platform to ridicule his administration, ridicule pro-government television news, turn confrontations with police into viral content and seize control of the online narrative.
The campaign has taken protests demanding accountability and education reform beyond the streets, expanding their reach and increasing pressure on a government wary of succumbing to a rapidly growing youth movement.
Humor has become a form of protest
The Cockroach movement’s digital campaign relies heavily on humor.
Clashes with police have become viral content. Videos show protesters joking about saving their Strava streaks (a reference to the fitness tracking app used by runners) while running. charges of using batons by police. Others edited footage of themselves dodging police barricades to imitate the popular endless runner mobile game Subway Surfers.
A protester holds a banner with a portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the words “Can’t see your democracy, my eyelashes are too long” during a demonstration demanding education reform as part of the ongoing Tharakan Janta Party protest movement in New Delhi, India, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Verda Subzwari)
A protester holds a banner with a portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the words “Can’t see your democracy, my eyelashes are too long” during a demonstration demanding education reform as part of the ongoing Tharakan Janta Party protest movement in New Delhi, India, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Verda Subzwari)
Add AP News to Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share More
Some women have adopted influencer culture, posting “get ready with me” videos and “fit check” posts before marches, showing off helmets, goggles and other homemade protest gear. Other protesters created parody videos mocking pro-government TV presenters and their dramatic broadcast style, calling the protesters “anti-national” and “foreign-funded plotters.”
The Associated Press interviewed several protesters, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisals.
One 25-year-old protester said memes are more than comic relief; it’s a way to cope. She sees them as a generational trait.
Unlike older generations who have learned to endure hardships, she doesn’t have the patience to “just put up with it,” she said.
“If our phone data runs out, we can’t even stand it. So we’re definitely not going to stand it,” she said, referring to Monday. Police disperse protesters in the capital.
Protesters rely on meme culture
Subscribe to Morning Wire:
Our flagship newsletter brings together the day’s biggest headlines.
Street protests erupted a month ago, fueled by anger over a series of exam scandals, including the illegal division of entrance exams for the national medical program. Young people say the scandals have jeopardized their futures and undermined trust in the education system. Protesters accuse Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and demanded his resignation, but the demonstrations have since grown into broader anger over government accountability, spreading to other cities.
A protester holds a poster with a portrait of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and text loosely translated as “Open the door friends, I bring bad times” during a demonstration demanding educational reforms as part of the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party protest movement in Pune, India, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo)
A protester holds a poster with a portrait of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and text loosely translated as “Open the door friends, I bring bad times” during a demonstration demanding educational reforms as part of the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party protest movement in Pune, India, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo)
Add AP News to Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share More
This expansion was largely due to Cockroach Janta Party, satirical group that started the movement two months ago. Through memes, humor and satire, it gave young Indians a new way to express their dissatisfaction with the government and helped transform a single-issue campaign into a broader youth movement.
At the main site of the protests in New Delhi, the influence is hard to miss.
Some protesters march in Spider-Man masks and Batman costumes, carrying mocking signs. Other signs of the protest echo the irreverent tone of social media, with memes and pop culture references woven into the demonstrations.
One poster of the Education Minister asked: “When will AI start working?” Another captured the spirit of the movement with the slogan: “Every joke is a (tiny) revolution.”
Some slogans and posters took on an overtly profane and risqué tone.
The 23-year-old student said the protesters were simply speaking the language of their generation.
“We find speeches boring, we are a bottom generation. We have a habit of consuming things in a short period of time, so we use the same ways to convey our message,” she said.
Jokes are now aimed at the Prime Minister
For Modi, who is entering his 13th year in office, the protests present an unusual challenge. His image is built on strength and decisiveness, but he risks alienating young people if he responds too decisively. Nearly half of India’s population is under 25, making young voters one of the country’s most powerful voting groups.
A protester holds a poster with a portrait of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dressed in a sari, the traditional dress for women in India, during a demonstration demanding education reform as part of the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party protest movement in New Delhi, India, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Verda Subzwari)
A protester holds a poster with a portrait of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dressed in a sari, the traditional dress for women in India, during a demonstration demanding education reform as part of the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party protest movement in New Delhi, India, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Verda Subzwari)
Add AP News to Google
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Share More
But the protests broke a long-standing taboo: ridiculing Modi himself.
Jokes about Modi were rare at that time. previous protests, when his government was criticized for suppression of dissent. But now even he has become an object of ridicule.
Modi’s gestures, pauses and mannerisms have become viral edits that turn his own words into political jokes.
When Modi released a selfie-style video late Thursday addressing protesters, he promised speedy legal action against those responsible for leaking information about academic or labor exams. However, many Internet users edited the clip to include parody voiceovers and references to his past promises, which they say went unfulfilled.
One video in particular went viral. Modi’s initial address began with him calling the protesters “friends.” The parody video kept that opening and suddenly changed to three young girls looking at the camera and responding, “No, it’s not like that.”
The 21-year-old student said there was no better way to challenge Modi than by using social media, which has helped build his political brand.
“We just answer him in his language,” he said.