Reported by Manoj Kumar Ojha
Guwahati: India’s digital landscape saw a sharp escalation on Thursday after political communications strategist and content creator Abhijeet Dipke confirmed that the X (formerly Twitter) account of the satirical online movement “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) had been withheld in India.
The restriction came shortly after the movement’s Instagram account reportedly crossed 12 million followers, surpassing the official follower count of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to the notice displayed on X, the account was restricted in India following a legal demand.
At the same time, a counter-campaign calling itself the “Chappal Alliance Party” gained visibility online with the slogan “Cockroach Free India.” Thousands of users across platforms changed their profile pictures to the group’s logo. Some online observers said a section of its supporters appear aligned with the country’s saffron political ecosystem.
In a video posted on Instagram from the United States, where he recently graduated from Boston University, Dipke alleged that the CJP’s X account was subjected to systematic suppression. He said the restriction followed a series of hacking attempts.
He also questioned the action, saying the movement had operated within legal limits while raising concerns related to youth issues.
“We had not posted anything illegal. We were only demanding accountability,” Dipke said in the video, urging followers to speak out against what he described as digital censorship.
The online debate began after remarks reportedly made by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant during a court hearing, where he was said to have compared unemployed youth involved in activism or social media activity to “cockroaches” attacking the system.
He later clarified that his comments referred specifically to individuals with fake or bogus degrees.
The statement triggered widespread discussion online and led to a wave of satirical content and memes across platforms.
What started as an online parody has since grown into a broader digital campaign, with over 6 lakh registered online members.
Analysts say the growth of both the CJP and the Chappal Alliance reflects the changing nature of political communication in India, where online satire and meme culture are increasingly influencing public discourse and drawing attention to concerns around unemployment.