Netizens have taken to social media to criticise the Narendra Modi government’s move to expand its presence on Snapchat, with several users mocking the decision aimed at reaching out to disgruntled Gen Z.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) launched its official Snapchat account on Thursday, becoming one of the first Indian ministries to join the platform, which has a large Gen Z user base.
The move came after Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi asked his cabinet colleagues to increase their presence on social media and use interactive content such as reels to engage with young people.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal announced the launch in a video posted on X.
“You followed us on X, on Instagram and on LinkedIn. Follow us on Snapchat to hear more about what the Ministry of External Affairs does. Both in India and through our missions and posts abroad,” Jaiswal said.
He also wrote, “We’re now on Snapchat! Add us and stay connected for exclusive stories, updates, engaging content and more. Let’s Snap!”
The move, however, drew criticism and jokes from Indian users, with one person writing, “Our pm is living in a parallel world.” “An educated millennial struggle connecting to a genz, although he is from much different timeline, let’s see [sic],” one comment read.
Some users questioned whether the government’s social media push would have any impact on issues faced by young people. “When will these idiots understand it’s not about the social media apps do something for the students..improve the government should schools and colleges..promote education instead of doing these craps [sic],” a user commented.
Another wrote, “Please bring these efforts in development. We youth will be more happy if he conducts any press or communication on real issues of the nation stop being Genz when you are not, he should stop this and start being a responsible PM [sic].”
Others mocked the possibility of Modi using Snapchat’s features, with one user asking, “So… will Modi ji start using filters now?”
Another joked, “Now Modi will send streaks, mostly from foreign countries.”
The move also prompted comments about the government’s wider social media strategy.
“Such tryhards. Looks like Narendra’s PR team is working harder than policy team,” one user wrote. Another comment read, “GenZ outreach went from speeches to streaks.”
