Punchlines replaced protest information on social media minutes after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation on Saturday. Weeks of protest recordings, slogans, and livestreams gave way to a deluge of memes, joyful edits, and light-hearted responses.
Memes quickly filled X and Instagram as soon as the news surfaced.
Social media users copied well-known Bollywood scenes, substituting allusions to the resignation for dialogue. Reaction GIFs of people dancing and celebrating swiftly filled timelines, while viral templates with Welcome, Hera Pheri, Golmaal, and Phir Hera Pheri found a new use.
Dramatic “mission accomplished” alterations were used in another round of posts. Jantar Mantar protest videos featured confetti animations, victory music, and captions that said, “Task completed.” Students were seen celebrating in several videos shortly after the announcement, with many referring to it as the movement’s greatest achievement to date.
The humour didn’t stop there.
One of the most popular phrases on X at the time was “Sonam, it’s done, bro.” The phrase, which came from a recently popular Salman Khan video in which the actor nonchalantly remarks, “Sonam, it’s done bro,” has become the standard response on the internet whenever a long-awaited task is eventually finished.
Within minutes of Pradhan’s resignation, X users started posting the statement all across the platform as a light-hearted approach to let the demonstrators know that one of their main requests had been met.
Humour has been a defining characteristic of the CJP movement throughout. Protesters have created reels, parody songs, dance videos, and viral one-liners that spread nearly as fast as updates from the ground, fusing real protests with online culture.
Following weeks of statewide demonstrations spearheaded by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a youth-led movement that arose over the exam leak incident and demanded responsibility from the education ministry, Pradhan resigned. One of the most significant events since the start of the protests was his resignation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to the demonstrating students in a video message as the campaign gained traction, which many on social media referred to as “Gen Z-coded.”
The film used familiar language, internet-style allusions, and a conversational tone in place of a traditional political speech to appeal to younger viewers.
