Troubled by the recent surge of Gen Z against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party is making efforts to change the tone and vocabulary of the protesters ahead of the crucial election season.
Taking note of the Congress campaign of ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ by Rahul Gandhi in different parts of the country and the ongoing campaign of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in various schools, it seems that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken it upon himself to lead the charge of the BJP and deal with the challenge. The first step taken by Modi was to hold at least two national-level programmes to directly communicate with the younger population. He not only tried to set the tone of his dialogue with Gen Z by holding public meetings at the prestigious Shri Ram College of Commerce in New Delhi on September 5, but also addressed another programme in Vadodara, Gujarat, on September 9, where the BJP used, for the first time, digital ticket-booking platforms. While the entry to the event was free, the BJP used the digital ticket-booking platform to showcase the popularity of Modi among the younger population.
With Modi spearheading the attack against the Opposition campaign to corner the Union government, the strategy of the BJP can be described in three steps. The first is outreach, which is being led by Modi himself; the second is changing the vocabulary of the discussion and not letting the Opposition set the agenda. The final step is to resolve the concerns of the students—many of whom are also first-time voters—by holding discussions and bringing reforms to the different examination processes.
Outreach, Dialogue and Vocabulary
The Prime Minister’s decision to kick-start a conversation with Gen Z is not without a plan. During a recently concluded coordination meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent organisation of the BJP, it was decided that the BJP, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student organisation of the RSS, and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) would reach out to first-time voters, students and the youth. The RSS meeting was held in Visakhapatnam in the third week of August and was attended by the chiefs of all organisations, including Nitin Nabin, the national president of the BJP.
“The Bajrang Dal and the Durga Vahini, which are the youth wings of the VHP, primarily work among the youth, especially in the age group of 15–35 years. It’s our continuous effort to increase our contacts, communication and outreach with the youth pan-India. Our aim is to help them inculcate and promote the cultural, socio-religious and nationalistic values so that they can play a positive role in society,” says Vinod Bansal, national spokesperson of the VHP.
As the BJP prepares to defend its turf in election-bound states, the party has been holding a series of meetings to figure out a strategy to attract the Gen-Z voter base in these states.
In his effort to start a dialogue with the youth, Modi tried to change the vocabulary of the protest. In Vadodara, Modi said that the younger population will not be attracted by the ‘Jhoot Ki Goonj’, but Gen Z would stand with ‘Sach Ki Hunkar’. Without naming Gandhi, Modi cautioned the younger generation that attempts will be made to mislead them in the coming days. “The term Gen Z is not ours, so we have decided we will use the word ‘youth’ to speak to the younger population and first-time voters. Why should we use the term Gen Z which is being used by the Opposition parties?” asks a senior BJP leader.
As the BJP prepares to defend its turf in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Gujarat, the ruling party has been holding a series of meetings to figure out a strategy to attract the Gen-Z voter base in these states. Apart from holding a 45-member meeting in Delhi earlier this month, the BJP leadership has also held similar meetings in Lucknow, Goa and Dehradun to explore ways to reach out to Gen Z. “It is essential to understand that India’s youth is not homogeneous, as was highlighted in the suggestions made during the different meetings. The youth in villages and small towns have different aspirations and it is essential to understand their views. Similarly, while several protesters joined the CJP and took part in the protests, the protesters do not represent the entire youth of the country,” says the BJP leader.
Understanding Gen Z’s Problems
Nearly 50 days after Modi formed a high-powered committee on exam reforms headed by Infosys co-founder, Nandan Nilekani, the ABVP has been tasked with not just reaching out to students, first-time voters and the youth, but also to solve their problems. Senior ABVP leaders are taking the feedback of youth to understand their problems and to provide suggestions to the committee members to improve the examination system in the country.
“The ABVP wants an examination system that is secure from start to finish, fair in process, transparent in operation, accountable in governance and meaningful in assessment. Students deserve an examination system that has the trust of students, institutions and the people,” says Virendra Singh Solanki, ABVP’s national general secretary. ABVP members say that the organisation believes that since Modi is directly involved in the examination reform process, the ABVP expects that the Union government will take bold steps and transform India’s examination system. Senior leaders say that the question is not just about the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), but about the over 25 lakh students who undertake different examinations in the country.
After the recent protests by the Gen Z, the ABVP has organised at least 50 round-table conferences in different universities and cities across the country to understand the aspirations and challenges of the youth who are preparing for different competitive exams. The importance of the ABVP can be understood from the fact that it has 77 lakh members and is present in at least 30,000 colleges across the country.
Over the years, the ABVP has become a cradle for the BJP leadership, including the present generation of leaders. Most of the senior BJP leadership, including Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, have either been part of the ABVP or have worked very closely with the organisation. “It is our suggestion that the traditional pen-and-paper optical mark recognition sheet format be replaced by a digital, computer screen-based test [CBT] at designated centres. Due to the large number of applicants, a CBT format could mean the exam is spread across multiple shifts and days, similar to the Joint Entrance Examination. We have also suggested that medical colleges should be involved in NEET exams and district collectors should monitor the entire process,” says Solanki.
RSS Takes Charge
As the BJP tries to manage the challenges posed by Gen Z, the RSS leadership has decided that it will not just be a bystander but will coordinate all its 40 affiliated organisations to meet the expectations of the youth. While the BJP is managing the outreach programmes and the ABVP is trying to solve the issues raised by Gen Z, the RSS is changing its training patterns to meet the new challenge of Gen Z.
“The protests organised by the youth in Delhi peaked between July 20 and 26, but in those seven days, the RSS got 10,000 requests from people in the age group of 15-25 years to join the RSS. In the past six months alone, the RSS has received 1.2 lakh requests from the youth to join the RSS. The highest number of volunteers joining the RSS was in 2025, when 2.5 lakh youth joined the organisation and we are confident that 2026 will surpass this record,” says a senior RSS member.
Interestingly, as the RSS initiates efforts to reach out to the youth, it has also started to make changes in its training programmes to understand the aspirations and problems of the youth. For the first time, the organisation has decided to hold separate training programmes for college students.
“We have realised that all age groups should not be clubbed together and the younger generation needs more guidance. So as a pilot project, we have started holding three-day training sessions for college students. This new experiment has been successful in Rajasthan and Bihar and will be replicated in other parts of the country. Similarly, we have started separate training programmes for university students,” says the RSS leader.
Senior leaders of the RSS also say that while the training modules and subjects that are taken up during the three-day training programme remain the same for all age-groups, the method of training changes when they interact with students of different age groups. “The decision to divide the three-day training programme into different age groups was needed because of the rush of students and youth joining the RSS. That’s why there are separate three-day training sessions for students in the age group of 15-18 years and college students. While those in the age group of 25 years and above have to attend lectures on national issues, teenagers and college students will be involved in interactive sessions,” the RSS leader adds.
RSS members also say that a recent internal study conducted by the organisation revealed that more than 69 per cent of the people attending daily shakhas or everyday training sessions in the morning are those below the age of 30, while 17 per cent of the members are 20 years and below. There are over 88,000 shakhas across the country.
Gyan Verma is Associate Editor, Outlook
