‘Clock it’, ‘delulu’: How Gen Z lingo took over Parliament during anti-paper leak Bill debate | India News
NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 on Tuesday wasn’t just about examination reforms and paper leaks. It also turned into an unexpected showcase of Gen Z vocabulary, with MPs across party lines dropping terms such as “clock it”, “MIA”, “FOMO” and “delulu” to sharpen their political arguments.From the treasury benches praising the Centre’s reforms to the opposition attacking the government’s handling of the NEET controversy, lawmakers reached for internet slang more commonly found on social media than in Parliament.
‘Clock it’
BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj used the Gen Z phrase “clock it” — a slang term used to recognise something — while backing the proposed legislation. Speaking in favour of the Bill, she said, “Borrowing Gen Z’s language, I would have to say that Modiji clocked it at providing this legislative solution.” Calling the amendment a “transformative” step, Swaraj argued that it reflected the government’s commitment to protecting the integrity of public examinations. “I am standing in support of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026. This is a transformative amendment. Its necessity is not only evident, but it is also the demand of the present time. Bringing this amendment is proof of the sensitivity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his committed government. Speaker Sir, when a competitive examination is compromised, its impact is not limited to the candidate whose future is put at stake,” she added.
NDA MP’s ‘delulu’ jibe at opposition
Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Lata Eknath Shinde turned to multiple Gen Z expressions to mock the opposition’s protests over the NEET paper leak. “I’d like to sum up the opposition’s protest in Gen Z language. They were MIA (missing in action) for the first 37 days and did not go to Jantar Mantar. Then came FOMO (fear of missing out), so they held a protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence. Finally, they became ‘delulu’ (delusional), believing the protesting students would join them—but no one did,” Shinde said.
Priyanka’s swipe at PM’s videos
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, meanwhile, invoked Gen Z while targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public outreach, arguing that young people could see through political messaging.“If you want to win over the Gen Z, then making videos with different camera angles will not help. The prime minister needs to change the angle of his heart, not the angle of cameras,” she said.She also urged the government to acknowledge the concerns raised by students over the examination controversy.“Injustice has been done with youths under your government, accept the truth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi must take responsibility,” Priyanka said.The Lok Sabha began discussing the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill at 2pm on Tuesday. Union Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said leaders from several parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK and NCP, had agreed to extend the debate from the originally scheduled six hours to eight hours.
