Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has strongly criticized the suspension of the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ (CJP) in India. The satirical political platform, which recently took social media by storm, had its account withheld following a legal request from the government. Terming the government’s move as “deeply destructive and unwise,” Tharoor argued that in a healthy democracy, there must be adequate space for dissenting voices, humor, satire, and the expression of public dissatisfaction.
Expressing amazement at the platform’s meteoric rise—which amassed over 19 million followers on Instagram in just five days and over 200,000 followers on X before its suspension—Tharoor stated that he could well understand the sentiment of the youth driving this trend. He noted that the massive engagement reflects the deep frustration and despair among young people due to the lack of employment opportunities in the country. He urged the government not to shut down such platforms entirely and to allow them to function normally.
While admitting he cannot predict the future of this unique digital movement, Tharoor expressed hope that the youth involved would channel their enthusiasm and anger into mainstream politics by exercising their right to vote in upcoming elections. Simultaneously, he offered a crucial piece of advice to opposition parties, urging them to view this massive social media trend as a golden opportunity. He called on the opposition to understand the underlying dissatisfaction of the youth and strategically plan to align this massive public wave with their political agenda.
