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Congress swaps speeches for jamming sessions to woo Gen-Z before Indore event
Congress is recasting its Indore student outreach ahead of Rahul Gandhi's Chhatron Ki Goonj event. The shift to casual venues and styles signals a sharper pitch to Gen-Z on education and jobs.
The Congress is changing the way it reaches out to young voters ahead of party leader Rahul Gandhi's student convention, 'Chhatron Ki Goonj', in Indore on September 19. Moving away from long speeches, formal stages and heavy garlands, the party is trying to connect with Gen-Z through a more informal campaign.
As part of the outreach, local Congress workers have swapped their usual kurta-pyjamas for jeans and T-shirts, and shifted their campaign from meeting halls to cafes, libraries, hostels and cricket grounds. The event comes at a time when political debate is focused on issues affecting the new generation, especially reforms in education and examination systems, following the recent student protests led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
Local Congress leaders, usually seen in traditional attire, are now joining students in jeans and T-shirts during the registration drive for 'Chhatron Ki Goonj'. Indore District Congress Committee president Vipin Wankhede told PTI that most young people dislike and are not interested in formalities such as long speeches by politicians and garlanded receptions.
'Earlier, when we used to hold events in colleges, there were speeches and a formal stage programme. Today, we are organising jamming sessions in colleges, where students sing and play music. This is a big difference,' said Wankhede, a former state president of the National Students' Union of India, the Congress' student wing.
Wankhede said cricket tournaments are also being organised to promote 'Chhatron Ki Goonj', while meetings are being held in libraries and hostels. 'Today's youth's perception of leaders and politics is completely different from that of the previous generation. Today's youth believes only what they feel is right. They don't care much whether their views are liked or disliked by others,' he said.
Senior journalist Prakash Hindustani said the recent student protest at Jantar Mantar was a major lesson for all political parties on how to communicate with the new generation. 'To regain lost political ground, Congress is trying to expand its reach, especially among those under 30. Obviously, this has required him to change his methods of campaigning among the youth,' he said.
The Congress has claimed that nearly two lakh students have registered so far for the fifth edition of 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' in Indore. The student dialogue campaign was launched by Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, to target the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on issues such as question paper leaks, expensive education, irregularities in government recruitment and unemployment. Under Gandhi's leadership, four editions of the programme have already been held in Kota, Dehradun, Prayagraj and Pune. Gen-Z refers to people born mainly between 1997 and 2012.
With Rahul Gandhi set to address the Indore event this week, the Congress is presenting 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' as a student-focused platform while reshaping its campaign style to appeal to younger audiences.