Opposition Fumes As PM Modi Reaches Out To Gen Z With A Selfie-Mode Midnight Address

Why did PM Modi choose a selfie-mode to convey his message to Gen-Z in the middle of a persistent protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in Delhi? After Modi’s video promising tough action over paper leaks went viral, everyone was talking about something other than the fast-track courts he promised. It was about how the thing was shot. Modi put the message up at 11.52 pm on Thursday (July 23). He started by calling viewers “Friends” and speaking straight into what looked like a phone’s front camera, held at arm’s length. No podium, no studio, no formal backdrop. For a leader whose addresses are usually announced days ahead and treated as events, the vertical selfie seemed unusual. Modi wanted to appear to be speaking to the youth. “Is it Gen Z style to impress the Gen Z audience?” asked the Twitterati. Of course, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka noted that the Prime Minister had to release a selfie video at midnight and that showed that the pressure was very high to act on the demand to sack Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. As expected, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge objected to Modi’s selfie approach on X saying, “When Parliament is in session, the Prime Minister has to give a statement on the floor of the House; he should not make a late-night video and do a one-sided ‘Mann Ki Baat’ outside Parliament!”. He demanded that Pradhan be axed before Modi walks into Parliament next. Rahul Gandhi thinks that Modi is trying to outsmart his style of reaching out to the youth. While he has been wearing polo T-shirts, is Modi trying his outreach by selfie posts. “The PM’s promise is, as usual, hollow and only a headline-grabbing exercise…The fast-track courts are an eye-wash, an attempt to show responsiveness when there is none,” said Jairam Ramesh.