Recently, a new political party called 'Cockroach' or Cockroach Party has emerged in India. This 'Cockroach Party', which has created a storm in politics, is currently quite active on social media. Now they have started to be vocal on the streets as well. Recently, a huge protest meeting with Gen-G youth in support of them at Delhi's Jantar Mantar has shaken the streets. On that occasion, various political discussions and criticisms are going on on social media about the mosquitoes, Ababeels or the new party Cockroaches of history. The BJP government is examining the social and political position of the protesters. According to them, 'These protesters only represent a certain section of Gen-G or the younger generation. Cockroach or CJP founder Abhijit Deep was staying in the US for a long time and he quickly returned home to participate in the Jantar Mantar program and demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Students, parents, job seekers and workers of various Left and social organizations participated in the Jantar Mantar protest. Their protests have heated up the political arena of Delhi.'
Because, the language of politics is never simple. The use of similes and symbols in the world of politics is nothing new. Sometimes, an simile, a metaphor, or a popular saying carries a stronger message than a long analysis. Through history, religious stories, and various popular stories, people often explain the reality of power, arrogance, and change. Nimrod died from a mosquito bite, Abraha died from a stone thrown by an Ababeel bird, Modi will leave his bed from a cockroach bite-this simile, heard in various political discussions in recent times, actually highlights a deep political truth about the impact of power, arrogance, and small forces.
A common characteristic of the powerful in the history of human civilization is that they consider their power permanent. But history has shown time and again that even the greatest empires have often been defeated by the smallest of causes. The story of Nimrod in Islamic tradition teaches that lesson. According to the traditional narrative, Nimrod, who possessed immense power, was ultimately defeated by the attack of a tiny mosquito. Researchers may disagree about the historical authenticity of the event, but its symbolic meaning is very powerful. The message is that no matter how great a power is, its downfall is not always due to something big.
Similarly, the story of Abraha, the defeat of a powerful general who set out with a huge army of elephants to attack the Kaaba, is well-known in Muslim society. There, a small stone thrown by an Ababeel bird shattered the pride of a great power. The main message here is not the bird, but the message that a neglected power should never be underestimated. Analyzing the current political reality of India, it can be seen that Narendra Modi is still one of the most popular leaders in the country. Under his leadership, the BJP has been influencing national politics for a long time. But an eternal truth of democratic politics is that no popularity is permanent. Within every power lies the seeds of future crisis. What could be the target of this cockroach? Some would say it could be unemployment. Some would say inflation. Some think farmer discontent, some think regional inequality, and some see social division as the biggest risk. These issues may seem small at first. But when they become relevant to the lives of millions of people, they shake the very foundations of power.
In the world's political history, major changes have often begun with small events. The price of bread in France, worker discontent in Russia, the suicide of a small businessman during the Arab Spring-these events prove that sometimes even a seemingly small thing can change the political future of a state.
The greatest enemy of power in a democratic system is not the opposition, but complacency. When a government begins to believe that the people cannot imagine anyone else but them, that is when the risk arises. Because the people always retain the possibility of change. They change slowly; but when they do, the impact is profound.
In Modi's case, the weakness of the opposition parties is often discussed. But an important lesson of political science is that no government loses power solely because of the opposition. In most cases, the government falls into crisis because of its own mistakes, its own limitations, and its failure to meet the expectations of the people. In other words, the cockroaches may not be external, but sometimes internal as well.
Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, the UK or the US-the same picture is seen in all democracies. First, the people express some dissatisfaction. The ruling party does not give it importance. Later, that dissatisfaction takes the form of a movement. Then it is reflected in the election results. In other words, the price of ignoring small signals has to be paid politically at some point.
In today's world, the power structure has also changed. Earlier, the state propaganda machine could control public opinion. Now, in the digital age, even the common citizen has powerful communication channels in his hands. As a result, it is difficult to keep any problem a secret. In this reality, cockroaches have become even more important. Because even small dissatisfactions can quickly take on a big shape.
However, there is no reason to think that any state leader is afraid of real cockroaches. But in a political sense, every ruling leader has reason to fear 'cockroaches'. Because it can be a small problem that seems insignificant today; but can become a storm of public opinion tomorrow.
Therefore, these analogies should be seen not as personal attacks, but as an eternal political truth about the nature of power. As history has proven time and again in the courts of history, the fate of empires, rulers, and political powers is determined not only by major wars; sometimes by a mosquito, a bird, or, symbolically, a cockroach.
In recent times, a question has repeatedly emerged in public discourse in India, centered on youth participation in various issues, job seekers' protests, student discontent, social media protests, and various civic demands-is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi really thinking about such a small but growing political reality?
Because India has one of the largest youth populations in the world. Every year, millions of educated youth enter the job market. No matter how much the story of economic growth is told, the question on the minds of many young people is - are the benefits of that growth reaching them? Job competition, allegations of irregularities in recruitment exams, employment restrictions and uncertainty about the future are creating a kind of frustration among the youth. The history of politics teaches us that it is dangerous to take the discontent of young people lightly. Because young people are not just voters; they are the driving force behind social trends, cultural change, and political discourse. A government that understands the hopes and aspirations of young people benefits in the long run. A government that ignores their concerns risks gradually eroding public support. However, it is also true that the political reality in India is very complex. Modi is still in a strong political position. The organizational base of the political force under his leadership is broad, the support base is large, and his personal popularity at the national level is also significant. Therefore, it is not realistic to see some isolated movements or protests as a direct prediction of his political downfall.
This reality has become even more complex in the digital age. Previously, any local incident was confined to the local level. Now, thanks to social media, a small incident can become a national debate within a few hours. As a result, there is no longer anything called a 'small issue' for those in power. Whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi loses or not, the Indian people will ultimately decide. No simile, slogan or political statement can determine the future. But these similes teach us an important lesson-power is never permanent, and it is dangerous to ignore small problems as small.
It can be said that any ruling leader of any democratic country should be aware of the political party named 'Cockroach' or the symbolic cockroach in the example of history. Because the lesson of history is that the fall of a great empire often does not happen with a big blow. Rather, its fall begins with small, neglected and ignored signals.
Therefore, it is important to maintain balance in political analysis. It is just as wrong to assume that power will end just by seeing a movement or public discontent, so it is also wrong to completely ignore the small dissatisfaction of the people. In a democracy, the source of both the strength and weakness of power is the people.
Author: Professor, Department of Social Work, Rajshahi University and former Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences . fakrul@ru.ac.bd
