‘Cockroach stir stripped Modi’s carefully confected image’: Arundhati Roy

What the report says

Award-winning Indian author Arundhati Roy told Al Jazeera that recent antigovernment protests in India, including a youth-driven campaign tied to the satirical Cockroach Janta Party, have weakened Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s polished public image. In the interview, published by Al Jazeera on 6 October 2026, Roy linked the protests to wider frustration over alleged election manipulation, unemployment, exam paper leaks and other governance failures.

Roy said the unrest reflects a broader political shift, with younger protesters using humour and social media to challenge the BJP’s messaging. She argued that the ruling party has relied heavily on media influence and online control, but that the movement has made it harder to sustain the image of invincibility around Modi. Her comments come amid continuing debate in India over the integrity of elections and the handling of dissent, although the article presents these as allegations and political claims rather than adjudicated facts.

The writer also used the interview to describe India as marked by deep inequality and limited freedom for critics, students and activists. She said pressure on dissenters and the use of antiterror laws have intensified under the current government. More broadly, Roy suggested that accumulated grievances may be reaching a breaking point, with public anger creating space for new forms of political expression.