Instagram is often seen as the new political battleground of the nation. As the clock ticks towards the 2024 general elections, political parties in India continue to use social media as a tool to reach out to the masses.
In a strikingly novel use of social media, Congress has imagined what it would look like if Instagram existed during the times of Nehru, Gandhi, Ambedkar, Savarkar, Golwalkar, and so on.
Potshots at Savarkar and Golwalkar
“Is it too late now to say sorry!!” reads the supposed bio of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who has an Instagram handle called ‘apologetic_bro’. The post goes on to ridicule Savarkar, with multiple lines in the bio mocking him for his often criticised multiple apology letters written to the British. The bio also calls Savarkar the inventor of “Bhaiya merese galti hogayi.”
In another taunt, former RSS chief M S Golwalkar’s Instagram handle is ‘half_pant_vibes’. “I do not believe in Equal Rights for all. Brewing hatred for generations ahead,” reads the bio of the Hindutva ideologue. The bio also goes on to criticise Golwalkar’s policies by saying that he is everything that the Indian constitution did not approve of.
What do the other Instagram profiles say?
While the RSS ideologues’ profiles have been created with the sole intention of ridiculing them, the ones of those close to Congress are what we would expect them to be.
Gandhiji’s profile calls him the “Rockstar of nonviolence,” while the Instagram handle of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru is ‘visionarychacha’. The architect of India’s constitution, Dr. BR Ambedkar gets a profile which says, “let’s conquer inequality together.”
The same treatment is accorded to the profiles of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Bhagat Singh, Subhas Chandra Bose, Maulana Abu Kalam Azad, and Sarojini Naidu.
As a plethora of elections approaches us, the social media war is only going to get stronger. Brace yourself!!!
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Abhishek Manikandan | 
