CJP Victory Was More Than You Think | Narrative Victory
Aug 30, 2026
Can social media allow ordinary citizens and independent creators to challenge the agenda-setting power traditionally held by political parties and large media organisations? This video looks at the role social media played in the rise of the Cockroach Janata Party and the wider Cockroach Movement in India.
From Instagram and short-form videos to memes, satire and real-time responses, CJP and independent creators were able to build a political narrative around education, employment, accountability and governance, while pushing back against attempts to define the movement through communal or anti-national frames. The video also explores the idea of 'agenda-setting': who decides what the public talks about, which issues dominate political attention, and whether social media has begun to redistribute that power.
The CJP movement suggests that online platforms can do more than amplify political messages. Under the right conditions, they can help ordinary people create a shared identity, set their own agenda and turn online attention into political action on the ground.