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No Boney M, no Queen—what Modi-Shah’s BJP doesn’t get about Gen Z

When politicians ‘clock’ or ‘flex’ or talk about ‘OGs’ because of their ‘FOMO’, it’s giving ‘delulu’ politics—Gen Z may be perceiving it as an invasion of their space.

A fortnight ago, BJP president Nitin Nabin had a four-hour deliberation with young party colleagues on how to reach out to the youth. From newly appointed Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha chief Hemang Joshi and his three predecessors—Tejasvi Surya, Poonam Mahajan, and Anurag Thakur—to Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Rajasthan deputy chief minister Diya Kumari—most of the 44 attendees shared their views.

The term ‘Gen Z’ was not to be used. Those gathered used ‘students’ and ‘youth’ instead. No one mentioned the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) or criticised the young protestors. Except for Saumitra Khan, West Bengal BJYM chief and MP, who complained about ministers “not listening” to him, the broader theme of the discussion was about engaging with the youth. That Prime Minister Narendra Modi also wanted their feedback was evident from the presence of Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was constantly taking notes.

One doesn’t know what Nabin gathered from the meeting. Three days later, he posted a video link of his meeting with the Russian envoy, Denis Alipov, with Boney M’s ‘Rasputin’ playing in the background.

Nabin was ostensibly trying to impress Gen Z, unmindful of what history books say about Rasputin’s role at Emperor Nicholas II’s court. The BJP president didn’t even pay heed to the lyrics, which describe him as “lover of the Russian queen” and “Russia’s greatest love machine”.

A few days later, at a youth event in........

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