'Avoid Making Such Statements': KC Venugopal's Warning On Shashi Tharoor's Remarks On Rahul Gandhi

Published 9 August 2026 · india

News india 'Avoid Making Such Statements': KC Venugopal's Warning On Shashi Tharoor's Remarks On Rahul Gandhi 'Avoid Making Such Statements': KC Venugopal's Warning On Shashi

News india 'Avoid Making Such Statements': KC Venugopal's Warning On Shashi Tharoor's Remarks On Rahul Gandhi 'Avoid Making Such Statements': KC Venugopal's Warning On Shashi Tharoor's Remarks On Rahul Gandhi Published By, Last Updated: August 09, 2026, 20:42 IST On Tharoor suggesting that Rahul Gandhi's programme had not resonated much among Gen Z as the CJP protests, Venugopal said Congress leaders should be careful about such statements. Congress leader KC Venugopal and Shashi Tharoor. (PTI) Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal issued a warning to all Congress leaders after party leader Shashi Tharoor compared Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ movement with the one led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), saying all leaders should be careful while making comments. While responding to questions on Tharoor suggesting that Rahul Gandhi’s programme had not resonated much among Gen Z as the CJP-led protests, Venugopal said, “I have only seen his statement reported through some media channels, as far as I know.

I haven’t been able to hear exactly what he said." “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 added. “The BJP will be delighted if someone finds fault with Rahul Gandhi or says two negative things about him—it would be the happiest thing for them." Venugopal said he did not believe that Tharoor made such remarks deliberately, adding that Rahul Gandhi’s programme in Allahabad had drawn participation from Gen Z. He also alleged that the UP government tried to disrupt the event. Venugopal said Rahul Gandhi had taken up the cause of students who had allegedly faced police action during protests. “You might have seen who was the first to present the student affected by pellet guns to the public? Rahul Gandhi," he said.

What Did Tharoor Say? This came after Tharoor spoke about the need for opposition parties to examine why they had failed to connect adequately with the younger generation. During an interaction, Tharoor said political parties needed to acknowledge that they had not created a route into established political organisations for the kind of young people who participated in the protest at Jantar Mantar last month. When asked whether the ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ rallies did not resonate as much as the one at Jantar Mantar, Tharoor said, “Correct. And that’s why we need to ask ourselves what we failed to do." However, the senior Congress MP later clarified that his remarks were not intended as an attack on his party or its leadership. Tharoor said sections of the media had interpreted his comments in a manner that distorted the larger point he was trying to make, that established political parties need to create space for young people and provide them with a genuine pathway into politics.