Speaking at a fundraising dinner for the Asian American Writers Workshop in New York on Thursday, Rushdie described the youth-led agitation as an encouraging development and urged his audience to recognise the significance of the protests sweeping several cities.
“There is something going on in India right now. India is boiling,” Rushdie told the gathering, before declaring that people should “celebrate the cockroach”, an apparent reference to the movement’s unconventional name.
The author said young people had provided a powerful reason for optimism at a time when questions surrounding electoral integrity and democratic accountability had become central to public debate.
“Young people of India have given us the most hopeful moment for a very long time,” Rushdie said.
His remarks were shared by writer and journalist Amitava Kumar, who attended the gathering and subsequently described the occasion on his Substack platform. The comments brought international literary attention to a protest movement challenging the Election Commission’s handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Filmmaker Mira Nair also expressed solidarity with the protesters at the New York event, where her birthday was celebrated. Nair described herself as a “cockroach mom” and said she was proud of young demonstrators campaigning for democracy.
The expressions of support from two internationally recognised cultural figures came as the CJP intensified its campaign against Kumar, accusing the Election Commission of overseeing electoral roll revisions that could disenfranchise eligible voters.
The Commission has rejected allegations of political bias, while the Bharatiya Janata Party has accused opposition organisations of exploiting the controversy for political purposes.
CJP organisers maintain that their campaign concerns the protection of voting rights rather than the electoral interests of any particular political party. They have demanded Kumar’s resignation and greater accountability over the procedures used to revise voter lists.
Rushdie’s intervention coincided with heightened tensions surrounding demonstrations in Delhi, where police detained CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and several student activists ahead of Friday’s planned protest at Connaught Place.
The demonstration, organised under the banner Lehra Do Tiranga, was intended to bring protesters together carrying national flags despite restrictions imposed by the authorities.
Police strengthened security arrangements around the proposed gathering, while protesters accused the administration of attempting to prevent peaceful political expression.
Hundreds nevertheless assembled in different parts of Connaught Place, with police detaining several participants. Demonstrations were also organised in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Patna, although attendance varied considerably between locations.
The CJP has emerged as a prominent youth mobilisation platform, using social media campaigns, public demonstrations and unconventional political messaging to challenge government institutions.
Its campaign against the electoral roll revision has attracted support from student organisations, opposition politicians and civil society activists concerned about the possibility of wrongful voter deletions.
The Election Commission maintains that electoral roll revisions are necessary to ensure accurate voter registers. Protest organisers dispute the manner in which the exercise has been conducted and are seeking stronger safeguards against exclusion.
Rushdie’s comments were particularly notable because he addressed the controversy before an international audience gathered for a literary fundraising event rather than at a political meeting.
The writer, whose Midnight’s Children won the Booker Prize, has previously criticised restrictions on freedom of expression and what he regards as growing religious majoritarianism in India.
At Thursday’s gathering, he also reflected on the atmosphere of religious coexistence he remembered from his childhood in Bombay, now Mumbai.
Rushdie recalled that festivals were celebrated across religious communities without the distinctions that he believes have become more pronounced in public life.
He referred to Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Parsis participating in one another’s celebrations, describing those shared experiences as an important part of the city’s social character.
Amitava Kumar, recounting the occasion, observed that the spirit of communal celebration remained visible among those attending the New York dinner.
Rushdie suggested, however, that the same sense of collective participation might no longer be as strong in India.
The Asian American Writers Workshop, which hosted the gathering, is a New York-based literary organisation supporting writers of Asian descent and promoting their work through publishing, cultural programmes and community events.
