{"id":35112,"date":"2026-08-29T18:11:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T12:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/bjp-urban-naxal-meme-war-munna-bhaiya-kgf-scenes-spark-controversy\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T18:11:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T12:41:48","slug":"bjp-urban-naxal-meme-war-munna-bhaiya-kgf-scenes-spark-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/bjp-urban-naxal-meme-war-munna-bhaiya-kgf-scenes-spark-controversy\/","title":{"rendered":"BJP Urban Naxal Meme War: Munna Bhaiya &#038; KGF Scenes Spark Controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" id=\"\">\n<div class=\"f3e032cb\"><picture class=\"c62bd949\" style=\"visibility:visible\"><source media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/webp\/thumb\/360x0\/web2images\/1884\/2026\/08\/29\/comp-14-a_1788003602.gif\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/webp\/thumb\/512x0\/web2images\/1884\/2026\/08\/29\/comp-14-a_1788003602.gif\"\/><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/web2images\/1884\/2026\/08\/29\/comp-14-a_1788003602.gif\" alt=\"\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"f97587ba\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\">The term \u2018Urban Naxal\u2019, referred to as \u2018Dimagi Naxal\u2019, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s Independence Day speech has now become the focus of a BJP-led social media campaign. Several state units of the party are creating memes around the term using popular scenes and characters from films and web series. These include Munna Bhaiya and Kaleen Bhaiya from <em>Mirzapur<\/em>, along with scenes from <em>KGF<\/em> and <em>Singham<\/em>. However, the campaign has also drawn criticism and sparked reactions on social media.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:0\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\"><strong>BJP&#8217;s social media teams join the meme war<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\">The campaign gained momentum on August 26, when BJP Chhattisgarh posted \u2018Avengers Assemble\u2019, calling on other state units to join in. Soon after, BJP&#8217;s social media handles from several states began sharing a series of memes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\">The posts use familiar film and web-series characters to convey political messages. Through this campaign, the BJP appears to be using popular internet culture and film references to connect with younger audiences, particularly Gen Z.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:0\"\/><span style=\"font-size:0\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"f3e032cb\"><picture class=\"c62bd949\" style=\"visibility:visible\"><source media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/webp\/thumb\/360x0\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/comp-14-b_1788003625.gif\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/webp\/thumb\/512x0\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/comp-14-b_1788003625.gif\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/comp-14-b_1788003625.gif\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"f97587ba\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\"><strong>From Munna Bhaiya&#8217;s slap to &#8216;Singham&#8217;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\">One of the most discussed memes features Munna Bhaiya from <em>Mirzapur<\/em>. The scene shows him slapping a student, who is portrayed by the BJP as an \u2018intellectual Naxal\u2019. Through the post, the Chhattisgarh BJP said that instead of becoming an \u2018intellectual Naxal\u2019, people should contribute to the country\u2019s progress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\"><strong>&#8216;Singham&#8217; scene gets a political twist<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\">The BJP then used a scene from <em>Singham<\/em> in which Ajay Devgn\u2019s character beats up a goon. The scene was presented as the \u2018Chhattisgarh-style\u2019 treatment of \u2018intellectual Naxals\u2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\"><strong>Kaleen Bhaiya and &#8216;Taarak Mehta&#8217; also feature<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\">The Delhi BJP joined the campaign with a scene featuring Kaleen Bhaiya from <em>Mirzapur<\/em>. Meanwhile, the Goa BJP gave a political spin to a scene from <em>Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"f3e032cb\"><picture class=\"c62bd949\" style=\"visibility:visible\"><source media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/webp\/thumb\/360x0\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/screenshot-2026-08-29-144110_1788003507.png\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/webp\/thumb\/512x0\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/screenshot-2026-08-29-144110_1788003507.png\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"712\" height=\"558\" src=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/screenshot-2026-08-29-144110_1788003507.png\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"f97587ba\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"f3e032cb\"><picture class=\"c62bd949\" style=\"visibility:visible\"><source media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/webp\/thumb\/360x0\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/screenshot-2026-08-29-142150_1788003517.png\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/webp\/thumb\/512x0\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/screenshot-2026-08-29-142150_1788003517.png\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"557\" src=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/screenshot-2026-08-29-142150_1788003517.png\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"f97587ba\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"f3e032cb\"><picture class=\"c62bd949\" style=\"visibility:visible\"><source media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/webp\/thumb\/360x0\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/screenshot-2026-08-29-142113_1788003526.png\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/webp\/thumb\/512x0\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/screenshot-2026-08-29-142113_1788003526.png\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/screenshot-2026-08-29-142113_1788003526.png\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"f97587ba\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\"><strong>KGF meme draws the most criticism<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\">The BJP Karnataka&#8217;s meme featuring a scene from <em>KGF<\/em> attracted the most attention on social media. In the scene, Rocky and his associates are shown firing at their opponents from a hill. The BJP edited the sequence to depict \u2018urban Naxals\u2019 as opponents and used it to convey that the campaign against them would continue with full force.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\">The post drew criticism from several social media users, who accused the BJP of using violent imagery in political messaging. Some questioned whether violent scenes from films were appropriate for reaching out to young audiences, particularly when the campaign itself was aimed at Gen Z.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\"><strong>Opposition questions BJP&#8217;s campaign<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\">Opposition parties and several social media users also criticised the BJP&#8217;s meme campaign. One user argued that in a democracy, ideas should be challenged with ideas rather than imagery associated with bullets and violence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\">Yashaswini Raje Singh, daughter of former BJP MLA Vikram Singh, also questioned the campaign. She alleged that the BJP had contributed to normalising violent political rhetoric in the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\"><strong>State units amplify each other&#8217;s memes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\">The BJP&#8217;s social media campaign has followed a coordinated pattern in recent days. One state unit posts a meme targeting \u2018intellectual Naxals\u2019, another engages with or reposts it, while a third adds another film or web-series reference.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\">According to a member associated with the BJP IT cell, the aim is to activate the social media networks of different state units at the same time. This helps posts originating in one state reach audiences in other states as well, allowing the party&#8217;s political messaging to reach a wider audience.<\/p>\n<div class=\"f3e032cb\"><picture class=\"c62bd949\" style=\"visibility:visible\"><source media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/webp\/thumb\/360x0\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/comp-14-a_1788003639.gif\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/webp\/thumb\/512x0\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/comp-14-a_1788003639.gif\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/29\/comp-14-a_1788003639.gif\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"f97587ba\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\"><strong>Preparations to expand the campaign on Instagram as well<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"word-break:break-word;text-align:left;white-space:pre-line\">This BJP campaign is not going to be limited to X. According to reports, the party&#8217;s social media team&#8217;s next focus is Instagram, where there is a large presence of Gen Z. The party&#8217;s strategy is to reach more youth by connecting viral scenes from popular films and pop culture with political messages. A BJP leader has described this campaign as just a &#8216;trailer&#8217; for now.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:0\"\/><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The term \u2018Urban Naxal\u2019, referred to as \u2018Dimagi Naxal\u2019, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s Independence Day speech has now become the focus of a BJP-led social media campaign. Several state units of the party are creating memes around the term using popular scenes and characters from films and web series. These include Munna Bhaiya and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[94,28889,31945,31943,31944,22728,22179,31942],"class_list":["post-35112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-7","tag-bjp","tag-dimagi-naxal","tag-kgf","tag-meme-war","tag-mirzapur","tag-pm-narendra-modi","tag-social-media-controversy","tag-urban-naxal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}