Youth Congress ‘Chalo Delhi’ Video: A major political controversy has erupted after the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) released and subsequently deleted a promotional digital ad for its upcoming November 1 ‘Chalo Delhi’ rally.
According to media reports, the social media video faced intense public backlash and political criticism for allegedly depicting and normalizing the secret filming and stalking of women under the guise of modern “Gen Z” youth outreach.
The incident has triggered a sharp political war of words between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition, overshadowing the promotional campaign for the high-profile rally scheduled at Ramlila Maidan.
What the Controversial Video Depicted
Youth Congress ‘Chalo Delhi’ Video: The 20-second digital advertisement was shared across social media platforms by the Youth Congress to mobilize support for its demonstration in the national capital.
Captioned with the phrase “Kinda chic tho??”, the video featured an upbeat background soundtrack showing a young man secretly photographing and filming a group of three women walking along a street at night using his smartphone flashlight.
According to media reports, as the individual swiped through the secretly taken images on his phone screen and zoomed in on one of the women, a digital poster promoting the November 1 ‘Chalo Delhi’ Ramlila Maidan rally appeared on her phone screen.
Social media users and women’s rights advocates quickly criticized the promotional clip, pointing out that depicting non-consensual filming and street harassment as fashionable or trendy sent an inappropriate message regarding safety and personal dignity.
BJP Targets Opposition over Women’s Safety
Youth Congress ‘Chalo Delhi’ Video: The ruling BJP seized upon the controversial video, accusing the Youth Congress of trivializing street harassment and using women’s safety issues as a political prop.
According to media reports, senior BJP leader Vishnu Vardhan Reddy posted on social media platform X, stating that the Youth Congress was “normalizing stalking and harassment” through its campaign material. BJP spokespersons further questioned the party’s accountability, emphasizing that political organizations must uphold standards of personal consent and dignity in their public communications.
Indian Youth Congress Response and Clarifications
As online criticism mounted, the Indian Youth Congress deleted the video across its official social media channels. However, initial responses from organizational leadership drew further scrutiny.
According to media reports, Indian Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib initially addressed the controversy by stating that the video reflected the “thought process of Gen Z.”
However, when questioned directly on whether the organization was endorsing street harassment, Chib clarified that secretly filming individuals without consent was wrong and noted that digital content was managed directly by the organization’s IT department.
“It’s wrong to secretly film someone or take their pictures… I don’t feel there was anything wrong intended, but still if sentiments are hurt, we have deleted the video,” Chib stated in media interactions, adding that the organization was looking into how the content was cleared for posting.
Attempting to shift the political focus back to its core agenda, official Youth Congress handles responded to critics by raising questions regarding past high-profile crime cases, including the Ankita Bhandari murder investigation, and urging political commentators to address broader institutional safety concerns.
Background of the ‘Chalo Delhi’ November 1 Rally
Despite the digital campaign controversy, the Opposition INDIA bloc is proceeding with preparations for the massive ‘Chalo Delhi’ rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1.
According to reports from media outlets, opposition parties expect a gathering of nearly 10 lakh supporters. The protest is organized primarily to demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged procedural irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, framing the demonstration as a unified push to safeguard democratic processes and constitutional integrity.
Disclaimer: This news article is compiled from official political statements, public social media broadcasts, and verified media coverage. It is provided strictly for general informational and news-reporting purposes.