'Delulu', 'Clock it': 'Cockroach' protest brings Gen Z slang to India's parliament

Tens of thousands of young people participated in the protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party

The language of India's young, perpetually-online population has finally reached one of its oldest institutions.

Days after a youth-led protest movement forced the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, India's parliament found itself speaking the protesters' language.

As MPs debated a new anti-exam leak bill, introduced by the government after weeks of protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Gen Z slang flew freely through the chamber.

Shiv Sena party's Shrikant Shinde accused the opposition of being "MIA" - missing in action - gripped by "FOMO", or the fear of missing out, before eventually becoming "delulu", Gen Z shorthand for detached from reality.

Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda, meanwhile, invoked the viral protest catchphrase "waste-guna-huiya" - a deliberately nonsensical meme popularised during the demonstrations - to poke fun at the government.

Bansuri Swaraj of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) declared that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "clocked it" - Gen Z slang for getting something right or spotting the solution - by introducing the law.

Her fellow MP Tejasvi Surya accused the opposition of being "delulu" for criticising the bill after failing to pass similar reforms while in power.

Across the aisle, opposition leader Supriya Sule briefly stepped outside the debate to marvel at the aburdity of the moment.

"Why are we getting into the lingo of Gen Z?" she asked. Moments later, she was using "delulu" herself.

It was an unusual moment. A movement that had begun online, fuelled by memes and Instagram reels, had not only forced the resignation of a cabinet minister but now seemed to be reshaping the language of the parliamentary debate that followed.

Bansuri Swaraj of the ruling BJP and opposition MP Deepender Hooda were among those who used Gen Z terms in parliament

The CJP began as a satirical internet collective. But outrage over alleged exam irregularities soon turned it into an unlikely rallying point for broader frustrations over unemployment, failing institutions and political indifference. It also spoke a different language.

The movement was organised on WhatsApp, coordinated on Telegram and lived on Instagram. Its politics unfolded through "fit checks" - showing your outfit - "Get Ready With Me" videos, first-person vlogs, memes and sardonic edits. Protests became reels within hours, drawing millions of views and pulling more young people onto the streets.

The government's response increa