Economist Podcasts

Podbit · Economist Podcasts

Cockroaches 1, Modi 0: India’s remarkable protests

Explore episode Jul 27, 2026
Government
Delhi's Biggest Protest in Half a Decade — Then the Crackdown

Cockroaches 1, Modi 0: India’s remarkable protests · Jul 27, 2026 Government

Tens of thousands — perhaps hundreds of thousands — marched on Delhi in India's largest protest in over half a decade. Students carried copies of the Constitution and dressed as Gandhi to pre-empt BJP accusations of anti-nationalism. Less than three hours later, riot police without name tags attacked them with sticks, tear gas, and pellet guns — a weapon previously reserved for conflict-ridden Kashmir.

2m 17s

Where this was said

Origins of the Cockroach Janta Party

At 4:03 · chapter starts 2:30

The movement's origin story is almost implausibly humble: a tweet posted by a student in Boston in response to India's Chief Justice apparently comparing jobless youth to cockroaches. That tweet — 'What if all cockroaches came together?' — morphed from meme to movement with startling speed. By the time of Kira Huju's reporting, the Cockroach Janta Party's Instagram account had 27 million followers, populated with AI-generated images of fist-raising cockroaches set to Hindi rap. But beneath the comedic aesthetic was a serious grievance: the NEET medical entrance exam leak had upended the dreams of more than 2 million students and had been linked to more than 20 suicides. India's exam culture is brutally competitive, good-quality colleges are scarce, and even those who navigate the system find few jobs waiting for them at the other end — a perfect storm of grievance that the cockroach meme crystallised.

Society & Culture
How a Meme About Cockroaches Became a Mass Movement

Cockroaches 1, Modi 0: India’s remarkable protests · Jul 27, 2026 Society & Culture

A single tweet — 'What if all cockroaches came together?' — posted by a student in Boston after India's Chief Justice appeared to compare jobless youth to cockroaches, spawned a satirical meme that mushroomed into a 27-million-follower movement. Underneath the AI images and Hindi rap was a very serious message about corruption, exam leaks, and a generation betrayed.

3m 10s

Similar podbits

Government
The AI Race to Govern Itself: Multi-Stakeholder or Bust

Using AI to Increase Your Intelligence & Enrich Humanity | … · Aug 10, 2026 Government

Fei-Fei Li went back to Stanford from Google in 2018 specifically to build a multi-stakeholder governance framework for AI. Her argument: market forces are not societal norms. Just as biology uses IRBs and cars have safety laws, AI needs layered oversight from educators, governments, and the public — not just a few industry titans.

9m 46s
Government
Surveillance vs. Privacy: The Fulcrum We Need to Find

The Surveillance Economy, and How Capitalism Can Fix Poverty · Aug 10, 2026 Government

Mass surveillance is here to stay. The real battle isn't stopping cameras — it's ensuring judges and laws keep that data out of family court and civil disputes, admitting it only for violent crimes and national security. The surveillance economy currently yields more upside than downside, but only if we build the legal guardrails now.

2m 10s
Government
Northern Europe Isn't Socialist — It's Capitalism Done Right

The Surveillance Economy, and How Capitalism Can Fix Poverty · Aug 10, 2026 Government

When people cite Scandinavia as proof socialism works, Galloway says they've got it backwards. Northern Europe runs highly competitive free-market economies with more competition in many sectors than the US — they just make sure taxes are actually paid and redistributed. Billionaires and universal healthcare can coexist.

1m 3s
Government
How to Fix the UK in Four Moves

“We’re At The Beginning Of A Revolution” - Jimmy Carr - #11… · Aug 10, 2026 Government

Two percent adjustments to income tax and stamp duty tweaks are deck-chair rearrangements. The UK's competitiveness hinges on four structural levers: currency valuation, energy costs, regulatory burden, and tax rates. Devalue the pound, build 56 nuclear plants, slash red tape, introduce a flat tax — and the country transforms.

5m 20s
Government
Lisbon Solved Its Drug Crisis — Then Forgot Why

“We’re At The Beginning Of A Revolution” - Jimmy Carr - #11… · Aug 10, 2026 Government

Lisbon had one of Europe's worst heroin crises. Then Portugal legalised drugs and redirected all enforcement money into rehabilitation and housing. Crime collapsed. Addiction fell. Then politics moved the money elsewhere, and the problem started creeping back. Chesterton's Fence: you forget why you were spending that money.

2m 21s