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.
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In doing so, they are also beating Narendra Modi – the powerful but image-conscious prime minister – at his own game.
A protester holds a placard during a demonstration in New Delhi, July 23, 2026. (Verda Sabzwari/AP)
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.
Strava and Subway Surfers Streaks
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 lanes (a reference to the fitness-tracking app used by runners) as they run from police batons.
Others edited footage of themselves dodging police barricades to imitate the popular endless runner mobile game Subway Surfers.
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.”
A protester holds a poster of Modi dressed in a sari, the traditional dress for women in India, during a demonstration in New Delhi, India, July 23, 2026. (Verda Sabzwari/AP)
Several protesters spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisals.
One 25-year-old protester said memes are more than comic relief; they are 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 won’t even tolerate that. So we’re definitely not going to tolerate that,” she said, referring to the police crackdown on protesters in the capital on Monday.
“We find speeches boring”
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. They blame Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who resigned on Saturday.
But the demonstrations grew into broader discontent over government accountability, spreading to other cities.
Much of this expansion has been driven by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a 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.
A protester holds a banner with Modi’s portrait and the words “Can’t see your democracy, my eyelashes are too long” during a demonstration in New Delhi, India, July 23, 2026. (Verda Sabzwari/AP)
At the main protest site in New Delhi, the influence was hard to miss.
Some protesters marched in Spider-Man masks and Batman costumes, carrying ironic signs. Other protest signs echoed 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 Modi
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 banner with a portrait of Modi, the text of which roughly translates to “Open the door, friends, I bring bad times,” at a protest in Pune, India, July 24, 2026 (AP)
But the protests broke a long-standing taboo: ridiculing Modi himself.
Jokes about Modi have been rare during previous protests, when his government has been criticized for suppressing 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.
But many internet users edited the clip to include parody voiceovers and references to his past promises, which they say went unfulfilled.
Protesters take part in a demonstration in New Delhi, India, July 23, 2026. (Verda Sabzwari/AP)
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.