The X account of the satirical online collective, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), was withheld in India on Thursday, five days after the outfit launched and witnessed an explosive rise on social media amid outrage over remarks made by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on unemployed youth.Cockroach Janta Party’s X account blocked; founder says ‘expected’Users attempting to access the handle @CJP_2029 were greeted with a message stating that the account had been “withheld in IN in response to a legal demand”. Founder Abhijeet Dipke later shared a screenshot of the notice on social media, saying the move was “expected”.Under X’s content policy, the platform can restrict accounts in specific countries if it receives a valid legal request from authorised agencies or if content violates local laws.The action came at a time when the CJP had emerged as one of the country’s fastest-growing online trends. Its Instagram account reportedly crossed 16.4 million followers within days, surpassing the follower count of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s official Instagram page. Thousands of users had also signed up through online membership forms floated by the group. Hours after being blocked, they appeared to come back under another handle called “Cockroach is back”, posting, “You thought you can get rid of us? Lol.”HT reached out to the IT ministry and X. A response was awaited as of going to print.The satirical movement was born after remarks made by CJI Kant during a court hearing last week triggered a political and social media storm. The judge had remarked, “There are youngsters, like cockroaches, who don’t get any employment or have any place in profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, RTI activists and other activists, and they start attacking everyone.”The comments drew sharp reactions from students, activists and young users already frustrated over unemployment, rising living costs and recurring controversies surrounding competitive examinations.CJI Kant later clarified that his observations targeted individuals allegedly obtaining fake degrees, not unemployed youth in general.Three trademark applications filed for ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ nameThree separate trademark applications have been filed seeking rights over the name Cockroach Janata Party, official records showed. The applications filed with the Trade Marks Registry portal seek trademark registration under the category for providing political and social services.Separate applications have been filed by individuals Azim Adambhai Jam and Akhand Swaroop—about whom not much is known—and by a proprietorship COCKROACH JANTA PARTY.---------------For web only ------------------------Dipke, a 30-year-old public relations graduate from Boston University, posted online: “What if all cockroaches come together?” The post soon snowballed into a full-fledged satirical political campaign.Within 24 hours, Dipke had launched social media handles, a website and a manifesto for the Cockroach Janta Party, describing it as “a political front of the youth, by the youth, for the youth”.The party’s messaging blended internet humour with political criticism. Its tongue-in-cheek membership criteria included being unemployed, chronically online, lazy and capable of ranting professionally.The manifesto mocked mainstream politics while raising issues such as unemployment, alleged media bias, institutional accountability and growing public frustration among young Indians.The controversy also triggered reactions across the political spectrum. Several opposition leaders amplified the campaign online, with Trinamool Congress leaders Mahua Moitra and Kirti Azad publicly engaging with the movement and sharing its posts.Leaders from opposition parties said the popularity of the campaign reflected rising frustration among unemployed youth and accused the government of failing to address concerns over jobs and inflation. Some Congress and Left-leaning social media handles also shared memes and posts linked to the campaign, describing it as a “digital protest” against the political establishment.BJP leaders, however, dismissed the campaign as an orchestrated social media gimmick aimed at targeting institutions and creating unnecessary controversy around the Chief Justice’s remarks. Some party supporters accused opposition groups of using satire to push a political narrative against the government ahead of key state elections.A senior Congress leader admitted that while the campaign may not have any real-world political structure, its rapid online traction exposed the growing disconnect between conventional political messaging and digitally active young voters.Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha strongly criticised the Chief Justice’s remarks, saying that when “the Chief Justice of a constitutional democracy compares unemployed youth, RTI activists, journalists and dissenters to cockroaches and parasites, it ceases to be merely a matter of personal anger and begins to wound the very spirit of democracy and its constitutional culture”.Dipke, who has been handling most of the campaign himself, said the response reflected a wider mood among young Indians who feel increasingly alienated from traditional political platforms.Political observers say the movement’s rapid rise highlights simmering anxieties among India’s youth over jobs, inequality and shrinking spaces for dissent. The country produces millions of graduates every year, but unemployment among degree holders remains significantly higher than among non-graduates.Lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan said the controversy resonated because many young people already feel disconnected from institutions and unheard in public discourse.Despite the withholding of its X account in India, the CJP continues to remain active on Instagram and other platforms, where supporters are treating it less as a political party and more as a symbol of digital-era protest driven by satire, frustration and disillusionment.