Archive · 10 Sep 2026
ChatGPT’s Viral 1980s Trend Sparks BJP-Congress Political Meme War
People started using ChatGPT to make new photos look as if they were taken in the 1980s.
The pictures can include old-fashioned clothes, hairstyles, lighting, film grain and date stamps.
Indian politicians and supporters began sharing these pictures online.
Some Congress posts used the style to make jokes or criticisms about the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
One Congress picture showed a man in a Maruti Suzuki Omni, a van often shown in old Bollywood movies.
BJP groups answered with their own pictures and political references.
One BJP caption pointed toward Lusiana in Italy, where Sonia Gandhi was born.
Other BJP posts referred to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and Congress rule under Indira Gandhi.
A fun photo trend therefore became a political meme fight on social media.
A ChatGPT trend that gives modern photos an 1980s film-camera look spread among Indian politicians and supporters.
Congress units used AI-generated images to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reference Gujarat, Delhi and the 1980s.
The Congress Kerala unit posted a bald man in a Maruti Suzuki Omni with the caption “A Gujarat street in the 80s.”
BJP units responded with images referencing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Congress rule under Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi’s birthplace in Italy.
BJP ministers and other leaders, including Kiren Rijiju and Himanta Biswa Sarma, also shared playful retro posts unrelated to the meme battle.
- Who
- The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress, including their state units, ministers, leaders and supporters.
- What
- A viral ChatGPT 1980s-photo trend was used to create and exchange politically pointed images and memes.
- When
- After the 1980s AI-photo trend became popular; the articles do not give a specific date.
- Where
- On social media platforms including X and Instagram, with posts from Kerala, Telangana and Gujarat referencing Delhi and Italy.
- Why
- The parties used a popular visual trend to criticize, mock or make indirect references to political rivals and their history.
Congress Messaging
BJP Response
Use of AI nostalgia
Congress Messaging
Congress units used AI-generated 1980s scenes as political messaging, including images aimed at Narendra Modi and references to Gujarat and Delhi.
BJP Response
BJP units adopted the same visual format to answer Congress and revive criticisms involving the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and Congress rule in the 1980s.
Symbolism of the van image
Congress Messaging
The Congress Kerala post used a Maruti Suzuki Omni, whose frequent appearance as a vehicle for villains and kidnappers in Bollywood gave the image an implied political subtext.
BJP Response
The BJP responded with its own AI-generated imagery rather than accepting the Congress post’s implied comparison.
AI-generated versus real imagery
Congress Messaging
Congress was described as using AI-generated images, including a series portraying Modi in 1980s settings.
BJP Response
The BJP used both AI-generated responses and real photographs of Modi from the 1980s, according to the reports.
Indirect political references
Congress Messaging
Congress’s captions and imagery were interpreted as references to BJP-linked Gujarat and Delhi.
BJP Response
The BJP’s “Lusiana, Italy” caption was presented as an indirect reference to Sonia Gandhi’s birthplace, without naming her.
- Photo trend
- Users upload photos to ChatGPT and ask it to recreate them in an 1980s style.
- Visual effects
- The trend can add period clothing, hairstyles, film grain, faded backgrounds, soft lighting and date stamps, while changing facial or other features.
- Congress post
- The Congress Kerala unit shared an AI-generated image of a bald man in the front passenger seat of a Maruti Suzuki Omni.
- Congress references
- The image carried the caption “A Gujarat street in the 80s,” while a nearby Hindi sign said, “Please smile, you are in Delhi.”
- BJP response
- The BJP Telangana unit shared an AI-generated image of a woman dancing in a bar with the caption “Lusiana, Italy. Circa-1970s.”
- Other political references
- BJP posts invoked the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and Congress rule during Indira Gandhi’s time as prime minister.
- Early participants
- BJP leaders Kiren Rijiju and Piyush Goyal were among the early adopters; Himanta Biswa Sarma and Shivraj Singh Chouhan also shared playful retro posts.
