Avoid making statements to appease BJP: Congress's veiled dig at Shashi Tharoor

AICC general secretary KC Venugopal on Sunday cautioned Congress leaders against making public remarks that could give the BJP political ammunition, as he responded to Shashi Tharoor’s comments on Rahul Gandhi’s outreach to Gen Z.Venugopal was reacting to Tharoor’s reported observation that Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme had not resonated with young people as strongly as the Cockroach Janata Party protests.“I have only seen his statement reported through some media channels. I haven’t been able to hear exactly what he said,” Venugopal told reporters.He said Tharoor should clarify his remarks himself, but added that Congress leaders needed to exercise caution. “Even if Congress members do not always strictly abide by party frameworks or discipline, we must be careful to avoid making statements that merely appease the BJP,” he said.“The BJP will be delighted if someone finds fault with Rahul Gandhi or says two negative things about him. That would make them the happiest,” Venugopal added. He, however, said he did not believe Tharoor had made the remarks deliberately.“All of us should take care, knowingly or unknowingly. I don’t believe he said it knowingly, nor is he likely to say it intentionally,” he said.VENUGOPAL DEFENDS RAHUL’S GEN Z OUTREACHVenugopal strongly defended Rahul Gandhi’s student outreach, saying the programme in Allahabad had drawn young people beyond the Congress’s traditional organisational base.“What was the scene witnessed there yesterday in Allahabad? Those were not typical Congress workers, Youth Congress or NSUI members. That was India’s real Gen Z,” he said.He claimed similar participation had been seen at programmes in Kota and Dehradun.Venugopal also accused the Uttar Pradesh government of trying to disrupt the Allahabad event, alleging that pressure had initially been exerted to deny the venue and that unsanitary conditions were later created along the route.He further said Rahul had consistently raised issues concerning students who faced police action during protests, including those injured by pellet guns and women protesters allegedly assaulted by male police personnel.Venugopal also referred to the Congress march towards the Prime Minister’s residence in solidarity with protesting students, calling it one of the biggest recent demonstrations in support of Gen Z.WHAT THAROOR SAID ABOUT CONGRESS CAMPAIGNTharoor had said at an event in Maharashtra on Friday that Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign was raising many of the same issues as the Cockroach Janata Party protests.Asked why the Congress programme had not resonated as strongly as the Jantar Mantar agitation, Tharoor replied: “Correct. And that’s why we need to ask ourselves what we failed to do.”“Did we fail to listen? Did we fail to tap into the old clich of having our finger on the pulse of the people? Was our finger missing from the pulse of Gen Z? That’s something we really need to interrogate,” he said.Tharoor later clarified that his remarks were being interpreted as an “attack” on his party or its leadership.He said his point was that political parties needed to open themselves up to younger generations and create avenues for them to shape politics.- EndsPublished By: Aprameya RaoPublished On: Aug 9, 2026 18:03 IST