‘Friends’, no stage, just a selfie camera: PM Modi’s Gen Z pitch draws sharp opposition | Today’s news
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest address to India’s Generation Z drew attention for both its format and timing. The video, which was released at 11.52 pm on Thursday amid the ongoing NEET paper leak controversy, adopted an unusually casual style, with the prime minister speaking directly into his phone’s selfie camera.
How did the prime minister reach Gen Z?
Instead of the usual studio, podium or formal backdrop with a teleprompter, PM Modi recorded the message using his phone’s selfie camera. The selfie-style format has garnered widespread attention on social media. He addressed Gen Z as “Friends” and focused almost exclusively on the concerns regarding the NEET paper leak.
The informal presentation of the video along with the Prime Minister’s remarks on the NEET paper leak drew sharp reactions from opposition parties as well.
Reaction of the opposition
Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi dismissed the Prime Minister’s campaign as a “pathetic midnight video” and said it failed to address students’ concerns.
“Mr. Modi, our students demand the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. Don’t insult their intelligence with this pathetic midnight video. 1. Sack Pradhan. 2. Punish those who beat the students. 3. Apologize,” Gandhi wrote on X.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the prime minister looked “distraught and confused” when he broke his silence nearly two months after the protests began.
Ramesh also referred to the government’s initial denial of the alleged 2026 NEET paper leak and drew parallels with the 2024 controversy.
“Pradhan Mantri’s lack of commitment to accountability is evident in his failure to mention the student protests or the brutality unleashed on them by his police force on July 20,” he said in a post on X.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also criticized the Prime Minister’s decision to address the issue through a social media video instead of Parliament.
“When Parliament is in session, the Prime Minister must make a statement on the floor of Parliament, not do a one-sided ‘Mann Ki Baat’ in front of Parliament by recording a video late at night!!” Kharge wrote on X.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal also responded to the Prime Minister’s message by releasing a video highlighting the release of an accused in the NEET 2024 paper leak case. He termed the Prime Minister’s assurance of fast-track trials as “hollow”.
AAP leader Manish Sisodia also criticized the Prime Minister’s intervention, writing: “Stuck with stick stiffness, landed on ‘Friends’. I had to release the first video on Instagram at 12:00 pm… This is GenZ dominance, Remove Dharmendra Pradhan or who knows what else these kids will be forced to do now…”
All India Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra also reacted, claiming that the government was trying to do damage control.
“Word on the street now is scared Modiji. He is doing damage control. He will set up a judicial commission to report in 3 months and Pradhan will step down pending investigation. And Jantar Mantar will be cleaned by Monday,” she wrote on X.
In a separate post, Moitra also called on the Prime Minister to “remove” the Education Minister.
