“They showed the world a way,” said Neha Bora in a viral clip, about Bangladeshi student protesters. The All Indian Students Association (AISA) president was giving a “red salute” to the protesters from the neighbouring country. Around this time, protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the alleged irregularities in the handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were picking up momentum in Delhi. 

Neha’s words were picked up by news channels and social media, and the student leader was accused of calling for a “regime change.” 

The media attacks intensified once the governing Bharatiya Janata Party’s social media teams amplified the quote in an attempt to disregard the protests. 

Between October 14 and October 20, the saffron party’s main X handle, @BJP4India, published at least 12 posts regarding the alleged call for “regime change” emerging out of the protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party, AISA, other left groups, and the Opposition. 

The protesters were calling for anarchy and bloodshed, BJP’s IT Cell told its audience. 

They want bloodshed and regime change. Their playbook is clear:Spread lies. ✅Poison young minds. ✅Turn people against the system. ✅They push a narrative of suffering, then hide behind the Tricolour and claim the country is in the wrong hands.𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫… pic.twitter.com/NsTPKBPmCj— BJP (@BJP4India) October 19, 2026

They want bloodshed and regime change. Their playbook is clear:Spread lies. ✅Poison young minds. ✅Turn people against the system. ✅They push a narrative of suffering, then hide behind the Tricolour and claim the country is in the wrong hands.𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫… pic.twitter.com/NsTPKBPmCj

देखिए, ‘Regime Change’ के नाम पर विपक्ष का खौफनाक प्लान…⬇️लेकिन भारत की जनता लोकतंत्र और संविधान के खिलाफ किसी भी खूनी साज़िश को स्वीकार नहीं करेगी। pic.twitter.com/ZXKjhNRvCI— BJP (@BJP4India) October 18, 2026

देखिए, ‘Regime Change’ के नाम पर विपक्ष का खौफनाक प्लान…⬇️लेकिन भारत की जनता लोकतंत्र और संविधान के खिलाफ किसी भी खूनी साज़िश को स्वीकार नहीं करेगी। pic.twitter.com/ZXKjhNRvCI

Cockroaches का असली एजेंडा बेनकाब: Chaos, Anarchy और Regime Change! 🪳वोटर रोल्स, EVM और छात्रों की आड़ में सिर्फ देश के Institutions को destabilize करने की साजिश!SIR से electoral rolls साफ हो रहे हैं, 2.37 करोड़ नए युवा वोटर जुड़ चुके हैं, तो इनके झूठ की दुकान पर ताला लगना… pic.twitter.com/T5mvheRppI— BJP (@BJP4India) October 17, 2026

Cockroaches का असली एजेंडा बेनकाब: Chaos, Anarchy और Regime Change! 🪳वोटर रोल्स, EVM और छात्रों की आड़ में सिर्फ देश के Institutions को destabilize करने की साजिश!SIR से electoral rolls साफ हो रहे हैं, 2.37 करोड़ नए युवा वोटर जुड़ चुके हैं, तो इनके झूठ की दुकान पर ताला लगना… pic.twitter.com/T5mvheRppI

जब बोलने वाला कोई और हो,और शब्द किसी और के,तो सच्चाई खुद-ब-खुद सामने आ जाती है! pic.twitter.com/3CqiarbsUu— BJP (@BJP4India) October 15, 2026

जब बोलने वाला कोई और हो,और शब्द किसी और के,तो सच्चाई खुद-ब-खुद सामने आ जाती है! pic.twitter.com/3CqiarbsUu

The posts were curated by a revamped IT Cell which, following the July protests over NEET paper leak that led to the resignation of then Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, was found to be in dire need of a more ‘Gen-Z approach’. 

On August 17, Amit Malviya was replaced by Deepak Mhaske as IT Cell head. When he took charge, Mhaske pledged to use “positive content” to counter the “fake narratives” spread by the Opposition using “AI in reels to twist facts and mislead people”.

Soon, short rap videos, meme-style edits, slang-heavy posts, and AI-generated visuals became a prominent part of the BJP’s social media output. Both national and state social media handles published posts ranging from “Who is a Dimagi Naxal” and “Naraz Fufa”, to gun-heavy visual edits and AI-generated templates targeting female politicians.

Newslaundry tracked BJP’s national and state social media handles, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s accounts, for a month between August 25 and September 28 to understand what has changed in the party’s digital messaging since the IT Cell revamp, how the promised Gen-Z touch is playing out, and whether the new formats signal a shift in its social media strategy.

Memes, reels, and Gen-Z lingo

Since August, fast-paced reel videos with popular Instagram reel music, memes, and internet slang have increasingly become the BJP’s preferred social media content. 

This is markedly different from its earlier approach, which relied on infographics about policy and new developments, given in pointers and straight fonts, as seen from Newslaundry’s analysis of @BJP4India’s posts from July 1 to July 31.

🚢 Faster trade.💼 Better business.🌍 Bigger opportunities.The India-UK FTA marks a significant step in India’s journey towards becoming a global economic powerhouse.#IndiaUKFTA pic.twitter.com/bBB1bJ5RiA— BJP (@BJP4India) July 15, 2026

🚢 Faster trade.💼 Better business.🌍 Bigger opportunities.The India-UK FTA marks a significant step in India’s journey towards becoming a global economic powerhouse.#IndiaUKFTA pic.twitter.com/bBB1bJ5RiA

𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠........

© newslaundry