From Spider-Man to Motu-Patlu: BJP Turns to Memes and Gen-Z Language to Reach Young Indians

New Delhi: Indian politics is increasingly moving beyond traditional speeches, rallies and newspaper headlines, and the BJP appears to be embracing a more digital-first approach to connect with younger voters.

From Spider-Man and Motu-Patlu to references from Greek dramas, viral internet expressions and AI-generated cartoons, the BJP’s social media content is experimenting with a language that feels familiar to younger internet users.

A recent meme-style motivational post shared by the party has drawn attention to this changing strategy. Rather than relying only on conventional political messaging, the BJP is using popular culture, social media humour and Gen-Z slang to make its political communication more relatable and engaging.

Politics Meets Pop Culture

One of the most noticeable features of the BJP’s recent social media activity is its use of popular entertainment references.

In one post, the BJP’s main social media handle is portrayed as a leading warrior from the series Spartacus, while state-level party accounts are presented as soldiers. The imagery is combined with a dramatic war-cry-style message, adapted to an Indian political context.

The messaging also uses the phrase “Maa Bharati” and references the term “Dimagi Naxals”, a phrase recently used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for people he considers anti-national.

The overall presentation is designed less like a conventional political statement and more like the kind of visual content users might encounter while scrolling through Instagram.

Motu-Patlu and Spider-Man Enter the Political Conversation

The strategy does not stop with dramatic historical or fictional references.

Characters such as Motu-Patlu and Spider-Man have also appeared in BJP social media posts.

Motu-Patlu, once primarily associated with comic books and now widely recognised through television among younger audiences, have been used in posts highlighting infrastructure development in Uttar Pradesh.

Spider-Man and other familiar pop-culture elements have also been incorporated into political messaging.

The party has additionally used AI-generated cartoon-style visuals to take political jabs at Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

In these posts, dialogue boxes and comic-style presentations are used to portray political situations in a format that is considerably different from traditional party communication.

Gen-Z Slang Becomes Part of Political Messaging

Another major feature of this evolving social media strategy is the use of internet slang.

Words and expressions such as “Brothaa”, “Delulu”, “Kinda Chic” and “It’s Done, Bro!” have appeared in BJP-linked social media content.

For a political organisation accustomed to formal speeches, policy announcements and carefully worded statements, the use of such expressions represents a noticeable shift in tone.

The intention appears to be to make political communication feel more native to platforms such as Instagram, where younger audiences consume short videos, memes and visually driven content every day.

The phrase “It’s Done, Bro!” also carries a recent political connection. It gained attention during the July protest involving the group referred to in the article as the Cockroach Janta Party, when actor Salman Khan used the phrase while asking activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike.

BJP Places Instagram at the Centre of Youth Outreach

The party’s renewed focus on Instagram is not accidental.

The BJP recently changed its social media leadership, with Deepak Mhaske taking over from long-time social media head Amita Malviya. Mhaske had earlier handled the party’s social media operations in Chhattisgarh and in some states heading towards elections.

Mhaske has indicated that Instagram would be one of his major areas of focus. The reasoning is straightforward: younger Indians are highly active on Instagram, making reels and other short-form content an effective way of communicating information about government policies.

The BJP continues to use more traditional digital formats as well, including clips from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speeches, tributes to freedom fighters and graphics explaining government schemes.

However, these conventional formats are increasingly being mixed with memes, pop-culture references and youth-oriented language.

Congress Is Also Focusing on Young People

The BJP is not alone in trying to strengthen its connection with younger audiences.

The Congress has also been developing youth-focused content, particularly around Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’, or ‘Voice of Students’, series of events.

One such programme in Pune was specifically organised for girls and women.

Both parties have increasingly used images and videos of their leaders interacting with young people. Prime Minister Modi’s social media appearances with school students, including during Raksha Bandhan, are another example of this visual strategy.

The competition is therefore not simply about who can deliver the strongest political speech. Increasingly, it is also about who can produce content that people are willing to watch, share and discuss online.

Why Gen-Z Matters to Political Parties

The focus on young people is significant because Gen-Z, broadly defined in the article as those born between 1997 and 2012, makes up around a quarter of India’s population.

Millennials, those born between 1981 and 1996, represent another substantial section of the population.

For political parties, reaching these groups means communicating in spaces where younger Indians actually spend their time.

That is why Instagram reels, memes, short videos, visual jokes and internet slang are becoming increasingly important tools in political communication.

From Traditional Campaigning to Digital Culture

Rahul Gandhi has previously criticised the BJP, RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as being “stuck in the past”, arguing that the past cannot fight the future.

The BJP’s recent social media strategy appears to be an attempt to respond to that changing political environment in a different way.

Instead of directly confronting the language of younger audiences, the party appears to be borrowing from their digital culture — using memes, entertainment references, slang and fast-moving online trends.

Whether this strategy will translate into deeper political engagement among young voters remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: India’s political communication is changing rapidly.

The battle for attention is no longer limited to television debates, public rallies or newspaper advertisements. It is also taking place on Instagram feeds, reels and meme pages, where a political message may have only a few seconds to capture someone’s attention.

For the BJP, the latest mix of Spider-Man, Motu-Patlu, Greek drama references and Gen-Z slang suggests that the party wants to make sure it is speaking the language of the internet — and meeting younger Indians where they already are.

News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.