A Party Dedicated to Kafka
One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections.
The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked.
~ Opening lines of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Never in my life had I believed that there would be a political party vaguely inspired by Franz Kafka. Sure, the animal that Samsa turns into is some form of dung beetle. But he is seen as a useless person with the anatomy of a vermin.
My research landed me on a relevant factoid because some translations (Michael Hofmann, Penguin Modern Classics) of the book refer to the creature Samsa turns into as a “cockroach”.
The Original German: Ungeziefer
Kafka originally wrote the word Ungeziefer, which translates most accurately to “vermin” or an “unclean animal/pest.” It does not refer to a specific biological species. In fact, Kafka explicitly wrote to his publisher demanding that the insect never be drawn on the book’s cover, wanting the creature to remain a vague, horrifying mystery to the reader.
Source: Gemini
Anyway, unemployed educated youth of India must be feeling like Gregor Samsa when they’re given an Instagram account which broadcasts the gorgeous lives of others while they rot on their bed, unsure of what future holds for them in the face of a capitalistic world that’s moving ahead so fast.
If the Instagram account of this internet joke had not gained millions of followers in a single week, I would not be pondering so much about this population.
They’ve made themselves seen, thanks to Zuckerberg.
The Founder
The so called founder of this “party” got the web design and talking points right. So, his PR course and stint with AAP has definitely helped his random idea turn into an internet movement.
But his political credibility is handicapped by the kind of entity AAP has turned into. What started as an insurgency against corruption and VIP culture is now reduced to hero worship and sycophancy peppered with theatrics.
The way this person speaks to media also demonstrates that he is pretty clueless apart from the fact that he’s riding on the arrogant remarks of the Chief Justice of India. Telecasting court sessions has definitely brought in some accountability in the judiciary.
His five point agenda has a template for reform for sure. But it is not a governance model aimed at solving any day-to-day problem of a citizen.
I doubt if he has the ability to grow out of his PR mind into a real political operator. Even in the best case scenario he will become a watered down version of Kanhaiya Kumar and join the Congress Party.
The checklist provided by the founder was meant to be a joke. But the joke’s on the people who relate to this. Would any aspiring young individual want this for themselves? In fact they would try to avoid the traits of a CJP member.
A Meme at Best
The demands of Cockroach Janata Party are worth reproducing here.
If the CJP comes in power, no Chief Justice shall be granted a Rajya Sabha seat as a post-retirement reward.
If any legit vote is deleted, whether in a CJP or opposition-ruled state, the CEC shall be arrested under UAPA, as taking away voting rights of citizens is no less than terrorism.
Women shall receive 50% reservation, not 33%, without increasing the strength of Parliament. Additionally, 50% of all Cabinet positions shall be reserved for women.
All media houses owned by Ambani and Adani shall have their licences cancelled to make way for truly independent media. Bank accounts of Godi media anchors shall be investigated.
Any MLA or MP who defects from one party to another shall be barred from contesting elections — and from holding any public office — for a period of 20 years.
Of course, it was not meant to be a manifesto of a real party for a real election, but the success of this idea on the internet has some potential for a real political experiment.
But as a PR student, even the founder would agree that “Cockroach” branding doesn’t work for any real party. It will need a certain level of reinvention if he is serious about electoral politics.
The most natural reaction of a person who sees a cockroach is to swat it. Not think of it as a resilient animal that can survive a nuclear winter. This leads us to a rather practical set of questions.
Should the leader of a real political party contesting in elections be lead by this lad who indulges in evasive hit-and-run structure of debate?
Would the electorate rally behind lazy people who call themselves as cockroaches (even as a joke)?
Can people who vote for doles really think of other people’s voting rights, the idealistic goal of gender representation, the abstract concept of media independence and a moral issue of defection as serious issues worth voting on?
My answer would tilt towards no in most cases.
However, the opposition parties have probably failed in taking up these issues to the people. Even if they did, people have largely ignored them in elections as they have no viable agenda to counter the incumbents.
The simmering anger or perhaps boredom has led a few million people to follow an account on Instagram. But, I doubt if it can go beyond that.
However, I would definitely want to see some form of a political upheaval that changes several shortcomings in India, including ones highlighted by Cockroach Janata Party.