IYC chief Uday Bhanu Chib asserts that the movement has already gone beyond social media and evolved into a grassroots mobilisation across the country
NEW DELHI — Stepping up its attack on the Narendra Modi government over unemployment, examination paper leaks and “criminalisation of youth dissent,” the Indian Youth Congress on Tuesday transformed its “Indian Youth Cockroaches” campaign into a nationwide resistance movement.
Framing the campaign as a symbol of defiance against an “increasingly authoritarian regime”, the youth wing of the Indian National Congress alleged that young Indians raising questions over jobs, corruption, institutional failures and paper leaks are being targeted through FIRs, arrests, intimidation and social media crackdowns.
The campaign draws its name from a slur allegedly used against protesting youth by the chief justice of India in his remarks— a label the organisation said it was now reclaiming as a badge of resistance.
Launching the campaign, IYC Incharge Manish Sharma said the movement represented millions of young Indians refusing to stay silent while their future was being “destroyed by corruption, unemployment and institutional collapse.”
“If demanding jobs, justice and accountability make India’s youth ‘cockroaches’ in the eyes of those in power, then we proudly accept it,” Sharma said.
“These ‘Indian Youth Cockroaches’ are young Indians who continue resisting despite FIRs, jail, intimidation and repression. This is not merely a campaign — it is a nationwide collective resistance against corruption, paper leaks and unemployment,” he added.
IYC President Uday Bhanu Chib asserted that the movement had already gone beyond social media and evolved into a grassroots mobilisation spearheaded by Youth Congress workers across the country.
“The fight of Indian Youth Cockroaches is not confined to social media. From protests against paper leaks to student movements across campuses, Youth Congress workers have consistently been on the streets fighting for the future of India’s youth,” Chib said.
Launching a sharp attack on the Centre, he accused the government of attempting to suppress dissent through fear and coercion.
“We do not fear FIRs, jail, intimidation, account suspensions or repression. The protests during the AI Summit demonstrated that Indian Youth Congress workers will continue resisting despite every attempt to silence them. We will fight tooth and nail for the future of India’s youth,” he said.
As part of the nationwide campaign, the organisation has intensified its “Sack Pradhan” petition demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over repeated examination paper leaks, an issue that has triggered widespread outrage among students and opposition parties alike.
IYC National Secretary and National Chairman of Social Media Manu Jain described the campaign as the “voice of an angry and betrayed generation.”
“Through social media, AI-driven campaigns and grassroots mobilisation, we are building a nationwide movement demanding jobs, justice and accountability,” Jain said.
He added that the government might “suspend accounts, block websites or attempt to silence voices,” but could not suppress “a generation determined to resist.”
To expand the movement digitally, the organisation has also launched a dedicated online platform
— Youth Cockroach Campaign —https://www.youthcockroach.org/
inviting young Indians to register themselves as part of the campaign if speaking up for jobs, justice and accountability makes them “cockroaches” in the eyes of the government.
The Youth Congress said it would continue standing with students and unemployed youth “in every street, every campus and every corner of the country.”
