Shashi Tharoor's Advice To Opposition Amid 'Cockroach Janata Party' Rage

Amid debate over the blocking of the X account of the satirical platform 'Cockroach Janata Party', Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has questioned the takedown. Calling the blocking of the account "disastrous and deeply unwise", Tharoor stated that there should be an outlet for the youth to "express themselves".

The Congress MP also shared that he was "intrigued" by the sudden rise of the 'Cockroach Janata Party", which already has over 19 million followers on instagram till the time of filing of this report.

"I'm incredibly intrigued by the rise of #CockroachJantaParty, which has already reached more than 15 million (now over 19 million) followers on Instagram in just five days," Shashi Tharoor posted on X.

Cockroach Janata Party's X account with over two lakh followers was withheld in India over a legal demand on Wednesday.

Calling for the unblocking of the X account, Tharoor wrote: "I understand the frustrations of the youth and see why they are resonating with it. This is precisely why the account being withheld on X is disastrous and deeply unwise - there should be an outlet for the youth to express their feelings and so, let CJP's account function instead of shutting it down!".

"Democracies need outlets for dissent, humour, satire and even frustration," he added.

While Tharoor said that he was uncertain about the future of the movement, he hoped that the people behind it would find a way to bring their energy in mainstream politics.

"I am uncertain about the future of this movement but I hope the youngsters behind it find a way to bring this energy into mainstream politics or perhaps express it through their vote to be a voice of change and in doing so, become impossible to ignore,"

Tharoor ended his post with some advice to the Opposition parties to "seize this opportunity", suggesting that the parties take note of the viral trend and work on bringing the youth towards them. "This is an opportunity that the Opposition must seize," the Congress MP wrote.

The satirical platform that surfaced less than a week ago has taken the internet by storm. It describes itself as "a political front of the youth, by the youth, for the youth." It declares itself as the "Voice of the Lazy & Unemployed."

The website, whose footnote says it is a work of satire, was created by Abhijeet Dipke, who calls himself "Founding President" of "Cockroach Janta Party".

The CJP has also put out a manifesto that among other things demands a ban on post-retirement Rajya Sabha seats for chief justices, 50 percent reservation for women in Parliament without increasing the strength of the house, and a 20-year ban on turncoats.