MUMBAI: A social media post by the BJP’s Chhattisgarh unit contrasting two “Gen Z mindsets” has sparked a political row after Mumbai-based professional dancer and content creator Urwashi Palandurkar, whose protest video was used in the post, accused the party of using her footage without permission and responded with a sarcastic rebuttal that has since gone viral.The BJP Chhattisgarh post asked, “Which mindset Gen Z will you choose?” On one side, it featured a video of Palandurkar with the caption, “Babar ki virasat par thumke lagane wali Gen Z.” On the other, it highlighted 14-year-old national judoka Yogita Mandavi, who was recently conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar by President Droupadi MurmuPalandurkar, who has over 3,00,000 followers on Instagram, first posted the protest dance video during the NEET protest, where it went viral and has since garnered more than 24 million views. Reacting after the BJP post on Instagram, she alleged that her video had been used without her permission. She said the post had led to her direct messages being flooded with people asking if she was okay. Her reaction reel carried the caption: “Please watch till end🙏 I AM NOT OKAY!!!! Not okay with reaching and being followed by the wrong audience 💀 The right ones please engage and help me get my cult balance back🥹🎀.” Beginning the video with a serious expression before bursting into laughter, she said, “No, I am not okay. I am that Gen Z student who is facing all this.”Calling it her “reaction video”, Palandurkar responded point by point to the BJP’s post.Mocking the caption, she said, “Your caption game is very weak. Your ChatGPT is not giving you good responses. What is ‘Babar ki virasat’? We can’t relate with it. Make it more relatable.”She also accused the party of trying to divide young people. “Divide and rule in 2026? You’re trying to divide the same Gen Z whose unity taught Parliament the term ‘Gen Z’. Logic is not logicing,” she said.Responding to the comparison between academic excellence and extracurricular activities, Palandurkar said both could coexist. “I got 93% in Class 10 and 93% in Class 12. I danced and created content throughout,” she said, showing photographs of medals and certificates displayed at her home. She added that the awards reflected achievements in academics as well as yoga, karate and other activities.“Extra-curriculars and academics can coexist, and I am living proof of it,” she said.Defending street performances during protests, she added that dancing in public had long been associated with celebration. “I’ve always seen people dancing on the streets after victories. I don’t know why it is not clocking.”She also joked about what she called the “brown girl trauma”, saying, “Being a brown girl, our parents have already taught us how to deal with trauma. You guys are not able to give trauma. Try harder.”Ending the video, Palandurkar acknowledged that she had approached the issue humorously despite its seriousness before signing off with a sarcastic remark, “Vastaguna huiya.”
The reel has gained traction online and entered the political discourse. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shared it on his Instagram Story, while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav posted on X: “Those who are companions on the new path, don’t think that they are misguided.”The BJP Chhattisgarh unit has not publicly responded to Palandurkar’s allegations that her video was used without permission.
