BJP tries to ‘clock it’, but can it pass the Gen Z ‘vibe check’?

“MIA”, “FOMO”, “Delulu”, young BJP MPs have embraced the words in the ongoing Parliament Session, and have been caught doing fist-bumps where earlier handshakes would suffice. And they are doing this with the knowledge that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is watching closely, having himself taken to Instagram – the medium of choice of Gen Z and the Jantar Mantar protests – and instructed his ministers to shine there.

BJP leaders, however, insist that its Gen Z outreach is not entirely driven by the 36-day Cockroach Janta Party-led protest that posed the Modi government its biggest crisis. And that the party has always reinvented when needed, especially when it comes to social media, pointing out how the BJP wrote the rules of the game on everything from X and WhatsApp to Facebook.

“The PM has, evidently, taken the lead by posting reels directly addressing everything from the paper leaks issue to the protesters who were misled into abusing him and his mother (during the protests). This is likely to continue,” a senior BJP leader said.

As apparently will the use of Gen Z words by MPs of the BJP and its allies, which was seen during the Parliament debate on the new anti-paper leak law (the only time the House has functioned this Session so far). As BJP MPs Tejasvi Surya (35) and Bansuri Swaraj (42), as well as Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde (39) spoke, their interventions were marked by a smattering of “FOMO”, “MIA”, “Vasteguna Huiya”, “Kuchu Puchu” and “Clock It”.

A billboard poster on citizens who support both Gen Z and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Mumbai on Thursday. (Reuters)

From the Opposition side, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule (57) joined in, telling Treasury benches to “not be in delulu” about support from Gen Z just because of the new law.

Friends track to rap song

One of the highlights of the BJP’s course correction was its post of Modi posing with different groups of youngsters, decidedly of more tender ages than the Jantar Mantar group, crowding around him as the title track of the Friends sitcom played. In a post on August 4, the BJP put up a collage of Modi’s images, to rap singer NF’s number that goes, “I’m a criminal, intimate but never political”, among other things.

In Mumbai, for the past few days, billboard posters have sprung up celebrating the citizen who supports “both” Gen Z and the PM, and making a vow that “I won’t march behind Anti-Prime Minister slogans”, along with similar promises. There is no mention of the sponsor of the posters, including one near the Mumbai BJP office at Dadar that says, in Marathi: “I am with students / I support the government of India.”

Asked about the posters, a senior BJP state leader said: “Our strategy is not to directly counter the Cockroach Janta Party agitation. But, if there are independent organisations or outfits expressing their views on the protests, we welcome it.”

A BJP MLA said: “After the PM has already issued a video and taken concrete action seeking the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, we don’t feel the necessity to immediately counter hard… Yet, we are going to carry out the Gen Z outreach plan in a natural process.”

In other words, the coming Tiranga Rally, planned by the BJP from August 10 to 15, to mark Independence Day, and festivals like Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navaratri etc, will see variations of the outreach, the MLA said. “These are festivals where we hold massive cultural activities and we will ensure the next generation’s participation,” he said.

RSS pitches in

The RSS too is pitching in, and as per another senior leader, this is because the Sangh views the Jantar Mantar protests as “not just directed against the Modi government but an attempt to challenge right-wing organisations through alternative politics”. On Thursday, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat held an interaction with “Gen Z and Gen Alpha” in Mumbai. Around “2,000-plus high school students from over 100 cities across India” were expected, as per the organisers.

A BJP insider said the party is not worried about the sniggers that its content was “cringe”. “We are more or less convinced that we have been able to contain the damage” as far as the image of the government, and especially PM Modi, is concerned, the leader said.

Party leaders said more steps are on the way to quell youth discontent, and will find reflection in the organisational revamp as well. The BJP plans to also tap into its network of social media influencers, whom the party has nurtured in growing numbers since 2014.

A BJP source said: “The PM addressed the issue of reaching out to the youth at the meeting of NDA floor leaders in Parliament last week. Now, the initiatives will be on the individual level – the more interactive and the less amplificatory in nature, the better… So the party is likely to organise big events with Gen Z influencers in attendance and the party may have a dedicated cell with outreach to them at its core after the Parliament Session concludes.”

Along with this, the BJP will continue its political pushback, in terms of underlining the difference between “violent and non-violent” youth protesters, as well as highlighting alleged exam irregularities in Opposition-ruled states such as Punjab and Jharkhand.

Vibe check? As Gen Z would say: “IYKYK (If you know, you know).”