Do the young connect to Hindutva? BJP’s new Gen Z panel looks for answers

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has put together a new 80-member internal working group to fine tune its strategy and messaging for Gen Z, people aware of developments said on Friday, adding that plans by the team were already incorporated in the party’s efforts to push back against ongoing street protests.

Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan, New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj, Bengaluru South MP Tejaswi Surya, Vadodara MP Hemang Joshi and Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Smriti Irani are part of the team’s deliberations – called yuva samvad (youth dialogue), said the people cited above.

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Groups prepare extensive report

The team – guided by Union youth affairs minister Mansukh Mandaviya – is divided into six working groups and met thrice in the last few months to prepare an extensive report, which explores questions such as – Do the young connect to Hindutva? What kind of language should be used to communicate with them? Should the term Gen Z be used?

The development was prompted by the party’s miscalculation of the scale and reach of the July student protests against examination paper leaks, which eventually forced the resignation of the then Union education minister, said the people cited above.

“I’ve been saying you just have to be yourself. If you make mistakes, it doesn’t matter. You have to own up to it but make sure you don’t repeat them,’’ Kishan told HT, when asked about his suggestions. In recent months, Bhojpuri actor Kishan has become an internet sensation with Netflix shows, podcasts and reels.

The party’s youngest president, 45-year-old Nitin Nabin, presided over the first meeting and heard many suggestions, some of which have now been effected as part of the BJP strategy.

One such instance was in deciding the party strategy on countering the Opposition protests. The working group concluded that if the Opposition protest had 10,000 people showing up, the government’s protest must have a much bigger show of strength, say 50,000.

Opposition vs Centre devise strategy

This week, when Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and others were marching towards the Supreme Court, the BJP was organising protests in Gujarat, Assam and other parts of the country against Gandhi. They alleged that Gandhi was ignoring sexual harassment allegations against Congress MP Bimol Akoijam, who was removed as a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s September 8 meeting in Vadodara was one of the first events held after these deliberations. Party leaders played a mix of Queen’s We Will Rock You and tracks from blockbuster Dhurandhar, while Modi walked along a long L-shaped stage, generating reels for the party.

The working group also preferred using more Indian names for Gen Z, such as yuva or youth, and touched upon young people’s views on Hindutva. “They are born Hindu so I don’t think there’s any need to stress on it,’’ said Kishan, adding, “It’s better to focus on spiritual power and sanskar (tradition).”

“You have to credit the BJP with the fact that they are acknowledging that something needs to be done,’’ said one of the coordinators of the meeting, refusing to speak on record.

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HT reached out to Mandaviya whose office confirmed his role. but said he was too busy to speak about it. All other leaders said they played minor roles and only gave suggestions when asked for it. “They wanted to know what young people are thinking about in our constituency,’’ said one MP, who didn’t want to be quoted. He had attended one of these meetings.

In the coming days, the team might reach out to two specific groups – fence-sitters or neutral observers, and young women. “Women are half the population, we must talk to them,’’ said Kishan. It’s something the other side is doing too.

During the Opposition rally last Monday, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were surrounded by Gen Z women leaders such as Neha Bora, Aishe Ghosh and Jannat Bishnoi.