The language of politics is getting a digital makeover. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraging handloom enthusiasts to make GRWM videos to Rahul Gandhi hosting an Instagram AMA, Indian politicians and public figures are borrowing Gen Z’s internet vocabulary and formats to reach younger audiences. As social media becomes a key space for engagement, leaders are moving beyond traditional speeches to join conversations shaped by reels, trends and viral slang.
Modi’s GRWM call
Ahead of National Handloom Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to take handloom social. “With the handloom, you can also make GRWM video... and inspire people,” he said, adding, “Let’s make India’s handloom diversity popular.” The appeal follows his recent run of selfie-style “Hi, friends” Instagram videos aimed at younger audiences, some of which have drawn millions of views, as the government steps up its Gen Z-focused digital outreach.
Rahul Gandhi says AMA
Leader of the Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi opened Instagram to Gen Z with: “Students, Gen-Z — I’m here to listen. Ask me anything.” Things got decidedly less political when someone asked if he was Batman. “Let’s just say that no one has ever seen me and Batman in the same room together,” he quipped. He also named Captain Amarinder Singh as his favourite BJP leader and featured Noorie, the Gandhi family’s Jack Russell Terrier, whom he gifted to his mother, Sonia Gandhi, in 2023.
MEA Snaps to it
{{/usCountry}}Leader of the Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi opened Instagram to Gen Z with: “Students, Gen-Z — I’m here to listen. Ask me anything.” Things got decidedly less political when someone asked if he was Batman. “Let’s just say that no one has ever seen me and Batman in the same room together,” he quipped. He also named Captain Amarinder Singh as his favourite BJP leader and featured Noorie, the Gandhi family’s Jack Russell Terrier, whom he gifted to his mother, Sonia Gandhi, in 2023.
MEA Snaps to it
{{/usCountry}}The Ministry of External Affairs is officially on Snapchat. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal announced the move in a video on X on Thursday, inviting users to follow the ministry’s work in India and through missions abroad, part of a wider government push towards platforms popular with younger users.
Bhagwat clocks it
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat got a Gen Z vocabulary lesson at an India’s International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN) event in Mumbai, picking up “clock it” and its hand gesture on stage. On a more serious note, he called Gen Z and Gen Alpha “the most honest generation”, adding, “We can trust them blindly.”