The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Sunday took a swipe at the BJP’s planned outreach to Generation Z, questioning the choice of senior leaders tasked with spearheading the initiative and sarcastically congratulating the ruling party for assembling what it called a “marvellous” collection of Gen Z faces. CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das launched the attack a day after the BJP constituted a dedicated team for its Gen Z Outreach Programme, an initiative aimed at building sustained engagement with younger voters and understanding their aspirations and concerns. Das particularly targeted BJP national president Nitin Nabin and former Union minister Smriti Irani, both of whom are associated with the outreach effort.
Das targets Nabin
In a post on X, Das referred to Nabin’s earlier remarks about young protesters and accused the BJP president of having used disparaging descriptions for sections of the younger generation. “Three claps to the BJP for a marvellous set of ‘Gen Z faces’,” Das said sarcastically while reacting to the composition of the outreach team. He also questioned how the party intended to establish a dialogue with young Indians while putting leaders he considered unsuitable at the forefront of the campaign.
Das also trained his guns on Irani, revisiting controversies from her tenure as Union Human Resource Development minister. He referred to her handling of the Rohith Vemula case, her record in the education ministry and past questions surrounding her educational qualifications. The remarks came after reports said the BJP had selected Nabin, national general secretaries Smriti Irani and Vinod Tawde, Gujarat minister Harsh Sanghavi and Chhattisgarh minister OP Choudhary, among others, for the youth outreach initiative.
BJP plans ‘Yuva Samvad’
The BJP’s programme is expected to centre on direct interactions with younger Indians, with the party seeking feedback on their priorities, expectations and concerns. Discussions and engagement exercises are likely to form a key part of the campaign as the party attempts to deepen its connection with Gen Z voters.
Nabin on Saturday chaired the first introductory meeting of the BJP’s newly constituted national team, formally beginning the tenure of the new office-bearers. During the meeting, he asked party functionaries to give priority to “Yuva Samvad”, or continuous dialogue with young people.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met members of the newly constituted BJP team at the party headquarters in New Delhi.
The BJP had announced its 65-member national team on August 17, bringing in 51 new faces. Among those receiving responsibilities were former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Irani, along with leaders including Kavita Patidar, K Surendran, Manoj Tigga and Sandeep Pathak.
The Gen Z initiative assumes political significance with Assembly elections approaching in three major states. The BJP is seeking to strengthen its appeal among younger voters, a constituency whose political priorities are increasingly shaped by employment, education, technology, economic opportunities and social-media-driven political discourse.
The CJP’s attack indicates that the ruling party’s youth campaign is also likely to become another arena for political sparring, with its opponents scrutinising both the message and the leaders chosen to deliver it.