Congress’s Anna Lesson: Why Rahul Gandhi Backs Students But Hasn't Joined The Wangchuk Protest
Congress’s Anna Lesson: Why Rahul Gandhi Backs Students But Hasn't Joined The Wangchuk Protest Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 21, 2026, 08:00 IST
Congress’s Anna Lesson: Why Rahul Gandhi Backs Students But Hasn't Joined The Wangchuk Protest Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 21, 2026, 08:00 IST The Congress knows the risks. It cannot afford a repeat of the Anna movement, which helped weaken the UPA. Rapid Read Congress leader Rahul Gandhi | File photo The past has a way of returning to haunt the Congress. During the Anna Hazare movement, the UPA-II appeared weak, with five senior ministers negotiating with Anna Hazare and India Against Corruption. But the bigger political fallout was the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party, which emerged from the anti-corruption movement and went on to become the Congress’s principal rival in Delhi and Punjab. It was a lesson the party has not forgotten. So when the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) began mobilising students over the paper leak issue, alarm bells rang within the Congress, including for Rahul Gandhi.
Rahul has launched the “Chhatron Ki Goonj" campaign to position himself as the face of students affected by paper leaks. But when questions mounted over why he was not meeting Sonam Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar, the party faced a strategic dilemma. Sources say Rahul himself recognised the risk of creating another Anna Hazare moment. While he backed the cause and used the hunger strike to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government, he avoided joining the protest, fearing it would confer legitimacy on the CJP as the principal champion of the issue. Instead, the Congress chose a middle path – supporting protesting students without allowing the movement to eclipse the party’s own campaign. According to sources, Rahul told colleagues in a closed-door meeting that while he respected Sonam Wangchuk and the cause, the political face of the students’ movement should ultimately be Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, not Wangchuk or Abhijeet Dipke.
The Congress knows the risks. It cannot afford a repeat of the Anna movement, which helped weaken the UPA and paved the way for a formidable political challenger. This time, it is determined not to let history repeat itself. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Key Questions Answered What is the "Chhatron Ki Goonj" campaign? The "Chhatron Ki Goonj" campaign is a signature campaign launched by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to amplify issues related to the nation's education system, such as paper leaks and high fees. How does Congress plan to avoid another Anna Hazare situation? The Congress plans to avoid a repeat of the Anna Hazare movement by ensuring Rahul Gandhi and the Congress are seen as the primary faces of student-led protests, rather than allowing protest leaders like Sonam Wangchuk or Abhijeet Dipke to gain that legitimacy.
The BriefWire