'I'm a Criminal': Making Sense of BJP's Rap Video on PM Modi

On August 4, 2026, at 7.03 pm, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) posted an unusual 33-second-long video on its official X handle with visuals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi running right through it.

Think big. 🎯
Lead bold. 💪
Put India first. 🇮🇳

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐏𝐌 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐢. 𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞, 𝟐𝟒×𝟕. 😎 pic.twitter.com/mYBtOSYndk

— BJP (@BJP4India) August 4, 2026

The video lyrics, belonging to "The Search" by NF, have been captioned in the video and are as follows: 

“OCD 

Trying to push my buttons

I said Don’t touch it

Now y’all done it

I can be critical, never typical

Introduce you with every syllable

I’m a criminal

Intimate, but never political

Pretty visual

Even if you hate it

I’ll make it feel like you’re in it though

Call me what you wanna

But never call me forgettable

Leave me deep in thought

I can never swim in the kiddie pool

Waited

I’ve been thinking this cinematic is beautiful

And I don’t know

I’m making movies or music videos

Videos, Yeah the sales can rise

Doesn’t mean much though

When your health declines

See, we’ve all got something

That we trapped inside 

That we try to suffocate

Hoping it dies

Try to hold it underwater

But it always survives

Then it comes up out of nowhere like an

Evil Surprise

Then it hovers over you 

To tell millions of lies

You don’t relate to that?

Must not be as crazy as I am”

The first question that comes to mind is: How seriously are we meant to take the words and message of this video? Since it has been officially posted by the BJP, it can hardly be dismissed as a trivial piece of content and we are obliged to take both its message and its implications seriously.

"OCD"

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can range from mild to severely disabling. It is not simply a preference for neatness or order – it is a recognised mental health condition characterised by:

• Obsessions: Unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images or urges that cause anxiety (for instance, fears of contamination, harming someone, making a mistake or needing things to feel "just right").

• Compulsions: Repetitive behaviours or mental acts performed to reduce the anxiety (for example, excessive washing, checking, counting, repeating or seeking reassurance).

Who has OCD? If the prime minister does, one can only hope that he receives the professional help and support he needs. 

"I'm a criminal"

This is perhaps the most disturbing line in the video. If we are expected to take every lyric as an accurate statement of fact – as the video's official status seems to demand – then surely this amounts to nothing less than a voluntary confession. One hopes the relevant authorities have at least replayed this particular line a few times, just to make sure they heard it correctly.

On the other hand, if we are not expected to treat such lines literally, then that raises an awkward question: which parts are we supposed to take seriously and which are merely dramatic flourish? The video cannot simultaneously ask to be regarded as a serious political statement and then retreat into poetic license whenever a line becomes inconvenient.

"I’m making movies or music videos

Videos, Yeah the sales can rise

Doesn’t mean much though

When your health declines"

If the lyrics are to be taken seriously, then one can only hope they are purely philosophical and not autobiographical. After all, the country would much prefer its prime minister to be in robust health. If this is merely a reminder that success is meaningless without well-being, it is an admirable sentiment.

"See, we’ve all got something

That we trapped inside 

That we try to suffocate

Hoping it dies

Try to hold it underwater

But it always survives

Then it comes up out of nowhere like an

Evil Surprise

Then it hovers over you 

To tell millions of lies

You don’t relate to that?

Must not be as crazy as I am"

BJP's X handle should stop speaking in riddles and explain what this is supposed to mean.

What exactly is this "something" that is trapped inside? A guilty conscience? Political secrets? Corruption? Financial irregularities? Abuse of power? Fear? Hatred? Something even darker?

And what is this "evil surprise" that suddenly resurfaces and "tells millions of lies"? Is it meant to be remorse? Propaganda? Rumours? Scandals? Past actions coming back to haunt someone? When a political party chooses imagery about something that refuses to stay suppressed, people are entitled to ask what exactly it is referring to.

If this is a metaphor, they should explain the metaphor. If this is about personal struggles, they should explain that as well. Political communication invites scrutiny and ambiguity naturally leads people to ask what, exactly, is being hinted at.

If this post is merely an attempt to make a septuagenarian prime minister look cool to the Gen Z, it raises serious questions about the judgment of the people who thought this was a good idea and also says more about the campaign's desperation than its creativity.   

Whatever the case may be, the nation deserves to know.

Rohit Kumar is an educator. 

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