Batman masks steal the show at INDIA bloc's march against Gyanesh Kumar

Batman usually watches over Gotham. At the INDIA bloc’s “Chalo Dilli” march to the Supreme Court, his masks turned up in a crowd demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.Youth Congress workers distributed Batman masks as Opposition MPs marched towards the court.Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi joined in, posing with a mask for a photograph that the NSUI posted on X with the caption: “Batman Mode: ON; Gyaneshh toh giyooo”.Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also got a turn behind the mask, with Gandhi helping him put it on. The superhero cameo fits into a wider Congress social media push casting Gandhi as a crusader against injustice. Batman masks, clips and background music have become part of the party’s political messaging.Beyond the masks, there is a broad parallel involving personal loss. Gandhi’s father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated in 1991. In Batman’s fictional world, Bruce Wayne witnesses the murder of his parents, a childhood tragedy that shapes his transformation into Gotham’s crime-fighting vigilante. The comparison has its limits, but for some supporters, it carries a clear political message. One supporter at the march told a reporter that India needed “a Batman named Rahul Gandhi” to fight what he called the “devil”.FROM A JOKE TO AN INSTAGRAM REELGandhi had supplied the opening line himself. Asked during an Instagram “Ask Me Anything” session whether he was Batman, he replied: “Let’s just say that no one has ever seen me and Batman in the same room together.”The Congress social media team later gave the joke a visual sequel.A 13-second Instagram reel shared by the party paired footage of Gandhi at an Opposition march from Parliament to the Election Commission office with scenes of Batman.The reel showed Gandhi standing atop yellow police barricades in his familiar white polo shirt and khaki trousers, surrounded by cheering supporters. It then cut to Batman atop a dark skyscraper, looking out over Gotham.The video repeatedly switched between the two. The wardrobe differed considerably. The intended comparison was clear.THE CAPED CRUSADER GETS POSTER SPACEThe Batman imagery had also appeared on Delhi’s streets. In August, posters describing Gandhi as “the real-life Batman” were put up near the Congress headquarters at Indira Bhawan and in parts of central Delhi.Put up by a party functionary, they featured Gandhi alongside Batman with the captions “The Silent Guardian” and “A Watchful Protector”.Now, with masks reaching the Opposition’s march and Kharge getting help trying one on, the comparison has moved beyond posters and Instagram edits.- Ends