Modi’s ’Friends’ video sets world record

In the face of the unprecedented student movement spreading across India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently appeared in a different way. He posted two reel videos on Instagram targeting the younger generation. And through this, he created a world record.

Modi broke the world record for the highest number of views for a single video on the platform by receiving more than 300 million (more than 30 crore) views within just 24 hours of posting the first video.

Just when the youth movement was raging demanding the resignation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the 75-year-old Indian leader chose the popular short video format of the Gen-G generation, the focus of this protest, and shot these two videos late at night on Thursday (July 23) and Friday (July 24).

The previous record for the most views on an Instagram reel was held by popular YouTuber ‘Ishoshspeed’, which he recorded while meeting K-pop band ‘BTS’ after the World Cup final earlier this month.

It is worth noting that the movement began with India’s NEET medical entrance exam. The exam, which was held on May 3, was cancelled on May 12 after evidence of question leaks emerged. Later, on May 16, student leader Abhijit Deep formed the ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ (CJP).

The sarcastic name was chosen after Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant called unemployed youth ‘cockroaches’ and ‘parasites’ during a hearing. Since its inception, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has gained nearly 20 million followers on social media and has called for a nationwide mass march demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Finally, in the face of widespread protests by the CJP and opposition parties, India's Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned around noon on Saturday (July 25). He sent his resignation letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Dharmendra himself confirmed this information in a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Meanwhile, despite having more than 100 million Instagram followers, it is quite rare for Modi to post such selfie videos or reels, as he is traditionally used to formal speeches and pre-planned programs.

Political analyst and Modi biographer Nilanjan Mukherjee told Bloomberg that the Prime Minister was seen quite disoriented or 'frustrated' by the impact of this movement. Although Modi's party claims that these videos were made to connect with the youth in a light-hearted manner.

This incident of getting a record number of views proves how huge the spread of social media is in India.