Daily Briefing | Political storm over ‘Cockroach Janta Party’: Centre sees threat, Tharoor sees opportunity

With that, let’s move on to the top stories from today’s edition:

• Cockroach Janta Party’s X account withheld
• NALSAR model
• GT beat CSK by 89 runs

🚨 Big Story

The X handle of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical platform, was withheld in India Thursday afternoon, its founder Abhijit Dipke announced in a post. “As expected Cockroach Janta Party’s account has been withheld in India,” Dipke posted. The account was launched by Dipke, a Boston University student, after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s remarks about those who “attack the system”. However, less than two hours later, Dipke announced a new handle for the platform, ‘Cockroach is Back’, and urged people to join it.

Centre’s order: The CJP’s account was withheld on the directions of the Centre in the wake of inputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) that raised “national security concerns,” a senior government official told The Indian Express. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) asked X to withhold the account under Section 69 (A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, the official said, adding that the input to do so came from the IB. Section 69 (A) of the Information Technology Act empowers the Centre to restrict public access to information in the interest of sovereignty, security, public order or preventing incitement to offences.

Interview: In an interview with The Indian Express, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor reflects on what the viral CJP phenomenon reveals about the mood of India’s youth, the failures and possibilities it provides in mainstream politics. He shares: “Whereas if they work with the Opposition and with political parties in general including the ruling party, they should be able to get results that will actually make a tangible difference in their lives.”

⚡ Only in Express

NALSAR model: A brutal killing of a dog and her litter of four puppies inside the NALSAR University of Law shocked the university, giving birth to a campus dog management initiative. Today, the move has enabled docile campus dogs lounging around, loved and protected. This has led the Supreme Court to allow educational institutions to run controlled, campus-based stray dog housing initiatives, underlining that in the event of any stray dog bite occurring within the NALSAR campus, its Animal Law Centre “shall be liable to face tortious liability for the injury caused to the individual/s concerned”. “Lazing is the word, because they know that they do not have to fight for food,” Shubham Dhamelia, a volunteer and co-founder of the WhatsApp group ‘We for the Dogs,’ shares with The Indian Express.

📰 From the Front Page

Reform: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the Council of Ministers to urgently explore alternative energy sources, including a push for biogas as a substitute for LPG cooking gas. This comes amid the crisis in West Asia and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that has put a strain on energy supplies. During the meeting, Modi’s focus was on reforms necessary for ease of living. In his remarks, Modi reiterated his governance mantra of ‘reform, perform, transform and inform’. He asked the ministers and top officials to work towards a developed India by 2047.

Crisis: The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), meanwhile, in a meeting with the petrochemical industry, has asked them to “urgently respond” on the scope to indigenise the production of over 200 highly import-dependent petrochemical items. These items are intermediate products used in packaging, construction, automotive, agricultural, textile and paints. They cumulatively account for annual imports worth over $50 billion. The missive comes amid the West Asia crisis that has caused price and supply related challenges for the industry.

Storm: The West Bengal government has now made it mandatory for madrasa students to sing Vande Mataram during morning Assembly prayers. The move comes just a week after the Centre made the singing of six stanzas of the national song mandatory in all schools under the Department of Education. The order comes in the wake of the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s latest steps that have brought about a sense of disquiet in the state’s minority community. While the Opposition criticised the order, the BJP denied there was any controversy.

📌 Must Read

India’s next steps: United States President Donald Trump’s visit to China has led India to draw its parallels with Richard Nixon’s famous trip in 1972. Even though the bilateral relationship between India and the US has strengthened, there are structural faultlines between the two countries. In our Opinion section today, Samir Saran writes: “New Delhi must respond with open-eyed diplomacy, not open-hearted sentiment. It must engage all strands of thought in the United States, a democracy almost as diverse and complex as ours. Trumpism may outlast Trump — both sides of the aisle asking, if in more polished terms, the same uncomfortable questions the current administration has posed.”

The global hub: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing underlines China’s emergence as a central hub of global diplomacy. While Washington seeks to alleviate its strained ties, Moscow aims to secure Beijing’s sustained economic support and preserve its strategic relevance in global geopolitics. The nature of interactions between them is, therefore, central to the stability and future direction of the global order. Expert Rajan Kumar delves into the deep partnership between Russia and China, how it paves the way for a military alliance, and its implications for India.

⏳ And Finally…

GT vs CSK: Sai Sudarshan and Shubman Gill’s partnership led Gujarat Titans on Thursday to an impressive victory over Chennai Super Kings, putting the latter out of playoff contention. An all-round awesome performance put CSK out of their misery as the five-time champions were thrashed by 89 runs. “If Titans’ opening partnership regularly puts the opposition on the back foot, what follows them often sucks the life out of bowlers, effortlessly,” Tushar Bhaduri describes. GT’s performance has now made them strong contenders to win the Indian Premier League this year.

🎧 Lastly, don’t forget to tune in to today’s episode of our 3 Things podcast, where we discuss Supreme Court’s reservations about a bench’s decision to deny bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam; political parties invoking Dalit icons in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections; as well as the case of Aadhaar and PAN card holder Dolly Vadalia, who has no nationality and cannot be issued a passport.

That’s all for today. Have a wonderful day!

Until next time,
Ariba

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