Tharoor defends ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ satire, warns against suppressing youth dissent

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday defended the controversial “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP), asserting that claims portraying the movement as a Pakistani-manufactured conspiracy were “too simplistic” and stressing that a vast majority of its followers were Indians.

Referring to counter-claims made by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, a Boston University student, Tharoor said 94 per cent of the party’s followers were reportedly based in India, underlining that the phenomenon reflected genuine public sentiment among the country’s youth.

In a detailed post on X, the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram said democracy should not suppress satirical or dissenting voices, even if they emerge in provocative forms.

“Whatever be the truth (and perhaps Instagram should put the record straight), my point is that suppressing it is foolish in a democracy. Democracy’s great virtue is the outlets it provides for public sentiment, frustration and grievances. Letting these be aired on a satirical site IS in the national interest,” Tharoor said in the X post while welcoming the public debate triggered by his earlier comments and interviews on the CJP controversy.

The CJP emerged earlier this month as a satirical political movement founded by political communications strategist Dipke, who had previously worked with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Tharoor argued that such movements often serve as democratic outlets for frustration and discontent. Whatever be the founders’ motivations, there is no denying that they have tapped into an important strain of national sentiment among the youth, he said.

The Congress leader warned both the government and the opposition against ignoring or suppressing the underlying anger among young Indians.

“As custodians of our democracy, both the government and the Opposition need to sit up, listen and tackle the underlying discontent. Ignoring it, denying it and worst of all, suppressing it would be disastrous,” the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram warned.

Comparing such expressions to “valves on a pressure-cooker”, he said democratic systems needed safe outlets for grievances.

“Such movements serve like the valves on a pressure-cooker, letting off steam, he said, adding that if the valves were closed, the cooker would explode under the pressure. I prefer satire to chaos, anarchy or revolution. I also feel it is our job to identify and deliver solutions to the problems of Young India. Let’s lift the ban and tune in!” Tharoor said.

The CJP movement gained traction after controversy surrounding remarks allegedly made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a hearing on a plea recently.

Dipke, who hails from Maharashtra, however, said that the idea was inspired after reports claimed the Chief Justice used the terms ‘parasites’ and ‘cockroaches’ while criticising individuals entering the legal profession through fake degrees. The remark sparked sharp criticism online, particularly among young social media users.

The CJI later clarified that his remarks had been misrepresented and were intended only for those acquiring “fake and bogus degrees”.

Within a week of its formation on May 16, the CJP reportedly crossed one crore followers on Instagram before its account was withheld following the controversy on Thursday.

–IANS