Are you Batman, was the poser. And Rahul Gandhi answered, equally straight up, sidestepping any comparison to the caped crusader: “Let's just say that no one has ever seen me and Batman in the same room together.”
‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA), the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said Thursday night in a fresh outreach to Gen Z. And they did, the questions pouring in right through the session on Instagram. Some serious, others casual and witty.
Batman joke, PM swipe and student protests
The Congress leader answered accordingly, cheeky and candid in turn. To a question on the student protest in Jharkhand, Gandhi said every government should listen to what students are saying.
Asked about his favourite meme from the student protests last month, Gandhi took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I think the videos that came out of the PM house at midnight, those were the best, showing a new panicked prime minister,” he said.
The former Congress president had got his mother’s dog for some part of the interaction streamed live. To a query on what is his favourite thing about being a dog parent, Gandhi said he is not one but his mother has a dog named Noorie.
“I am not a dog parent. I think we share spaces with animals, with all living beings. I don't think we own them, I think they are on this planet with us and they deserve respect, love and affection,” Gandhi said.
“Yes Noorie, do you agree with me? This is Noorie, she is my mum's dog. My mum will be very angry that I put her on video but too bad. So I will deal with that problem when it arises,” Gandhi said with the dog in his lap.
Favourite BJP leader and childhood memories
Who is your favourite politician from the BJP? Gandhi quickly named Captain Amarinder Singh, who switched from the Congress to the BJP in 2022.
“I get along with him, he is cool. He is an expert on military history… Hello, uncle Amarinder," Gandhi said, setting off speculation over whether the veteran leader could make his way back to the Congress ahead of the Punjab elections.
Injecting a personal, nostalgic note, he said in response to a question, "My favourite memories with my dad were...he was a pilot and we used to go flying with him."
Posting a link to his Instagram initiative on X, Gandhi said on Thursday, "Students, Gen-Z, I'm here to listen. Ask me anything on Instagram, and I'll answer as many questions as I can."
The Congress also put out video clips of some of the questions he answered.
Gen Z outreach through social media
To a question on which philosophy interests him the most, Gandhi said, "All the different philosophies that have shaped our Constitution from Lord Buddha, Guru Nanak Dev, Basavanna ji, Sankardev ji Dharti Abba, Birsa Munda, Periyar, Mahatma Phule, Narayana Guru ji, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Gandhiji, and so many more."
The initiative comes after Gandhi met a group of students who had protested last month seeking then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak and were at the receiving end of the police crackdown on July 20.
On Wednesday, Gandhi alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was responsible for the violence against protesting youngsters and that he does not have the courage to explain in Parliament what happened with the students.
Gandhi has been regularly posting snippets from his interaction with students and parents on Instagram recently.
Over weeks, Instagram has emerged as a key political messaging platform among the political leaders, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading a coordinated push to woo Gen Z, joined by several Union ministers and ruling party leaders.