E-Paper
Gym bros, Gen Z lingo: How BJP is trying to woo youth after CJP protest
BJP's outreach comes after Delhi's Jantar Mantar recently became the national talk amid the youth-led CJP protest.
From sitcom references to gym banter, the BJP is swapping stump speeches for scroll-friendly storytelling in what appears to be a fresh push to connect with Gen Z after the 'Cockroach Janta Party' turned from being a mere social media event to a mega youth uprising against exam irregularities, resulting in the resignation of union education minister Dharmedra Pradhan's resigation amid widespread protests that were led from Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
The party has been posting a string of social media videos peppered with pop culture references, casual conversations and everyday settings, delivering political messaging in a format designed for India's reel generation.
BJP's outreach comes after Delhi's Jantar Mantar recently became the national talk amid the youth-led CJP protest over the last few days, with the ‘party’ that emerged as a social media-led satirical outfit floated by a Boston University graduate named Abhijeet Dipke and turned into a mega movement, forcing education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign from the post over exam irregularities.
CJP was launched on social media by Dipke a day after Chief Justice of India Sura Kant likened a section of youth to “cockroaches” on May 15. Amid the quick online fame, its founder Abijeet Dipke returned from the US to India and ultimately ended up leading one of the biggest youth-led protests of the country from Jantar Mantar.
How BJP is trying to speak to Gen Z
The latest videos, shared on the BJP's social media handles, borrow the language and aesthetics of short-form content popular among young users. One post opens with the iconic F.R.I.E.N.D.S. title card, assuring students that PM Modi "will be there for you" while highlighting the government's response to recent exam-related concerns and promising strict action to ensure transparency.
"For this government, the dreams and hard work of India's youth are the ultimate priority," the post reads, adding that "no injustice will be tolerated," it is captioned.
Another such piece of content is a video posted on BJP's X handle on Tuesday, set inside a gym, featuring a conversation between youngsters and an older trainer, peppered with what is at times a borderline overuse of Gen Z slang and English-Hindi internet lingo.
The exchange begins with references to “vibes”, “blue tick, no reply” and “political podcast, pack up, back to workout”, before moving into a debate over whether young people should draw inspiration from India’s past. As one youngster says his generation prefers to “look ahead” rather than dwell on history, the trainer argues that today’s India - smartphones, metro networks, expressways, airports, high-speed trains and an expanded network of IITs, IIMs, AIIMS and medical seats - has been built on a stronger foundation than previous decades marked by terror attacks and corruption.
When a youngster asks why there was a resignation of education minister Pradhan if the country is in “strong hands”, the trainer responds that the resignation is “not Jantar Mantar’s victory, but democracy’s strength”, adding that the government has addressed problems so the youth can focus on building their future. The video ends with the line: “Let’s build the country and our bodies together.”
Another video repurposes excerpts from BJP MP Anurag Thakur's speech in the Lok Sabha on alleged examination paper leaks, captioned - “𝐆𝐞𝐧 𝐙, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 🫵🏻 The list was so long... it nearly exhausted the entire Parliament. You know the craziest part? 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 ▶️.”
In the clip, Thakur rattles off a long list of alleged paper leak incidents dating back to the early 2000s-including the CBSE All India PMT, AIEEE, AIIMS, CLAT, Railway Recruitment Board, SSC CGL and several state-level examinations-repeatedly asking, "Sarkar kiski thi?" [Whose government was it?], before answering, “Congress ki”. He then turns to Rajasthan, claiming that 17 of 19 recruitment examinations were affected by paper leaks during the previous state government's tenure, insisting on reading out the entire list "for the record" despite being urged to conclude his remarks.
PM's selfie videos, reel instruction for BJP
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three consecutive selfie videos over three days amid the intensifying CJP protest in a bid to pacify the youth demanding government accountability over exam irregularities, particularly the alleged NEET UG paper leak.
Meanwhile, the PM Modi has also reportedly advised his Cabinet colleagues to engage with the youth on Instagram through Reels and interactive sessions.
"Young people are just on Instagram. This is a potential segment of citizens that we all need to connect with," an NDTV report quoted PM Modi as saying at the Cabinet meeting.
The suggestion came on Jul 24, hours after PM Modi posted a message on Instagram listing planned government measures to stem paper leaks.
The trigger behind all of this seems to be that the CJP became an overnight sensation in May after remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant comparing certain unemployed youth and social media activists to "cockroaches" and "parasites" during a court hearing.
Turning the remarks that many youngsters described as an insult into a badge of honour, Boston University graduate Abhijeet Dipke created its website and social media accounts a day after the CJI's remarks on May 15. Within days, its Instagram page had amassed more than millions of followers, far surpassing the followers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the platform.
The outfit went on to draw millions of supporters online, prompting Dipke to return to India and hold multi-city demonstrations, on the last day of which — June 20 — he announced a sit-in at Jantar Mantar, saying that it would end only with the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over recurring exam irregularities.
The protest intensified from July 18 after Sonam Wangchuk was allegedly “forcibly” removed from the protest site and admitted to Safdarjung Hospital by authorities amid deteriorating health condition.
On Monday, July 20, scores turned up at Jantar Mantar and areas around on CJP's call for a march to Parliament as the Monsoon Session kicked off there with PM Modi's customary address in which he said facts and logic leave no room for “disruption”.
After six days of intense agitation and intermittent tensions with the security lines, the protest came to an end on Saturday, July 25, with the announcement of theresignation by Dharmendra Pradhan as education minister.
