A political row has erupted within the Congress over senior leader Shashi Tharoor's remarks on Rahul Gandhi's outreach to Gen Z, with party general secretary KC Venugopal on Sunday cautioning leaders against making statements that could benefit the BJP.
The exchange comes weeks after the month-long CJP protest that led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and amid Rahul Gandhi's efforts to engage with students through his 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme.
Venugopal's remarks came in response to comments attributed to Tharoor suggesting that Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme had not resonated as much among Gen Z as the protests led by the Cockroach Janata Party.
Venugopal, the Congress MP from Alappuzha, said he had only seen Tharoor's comments through media reports and had not heard the remarks directly.
"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," he said.
He said Tharoor's comments should be put to him directly but added that Congress leaders should exercise caution while making public statements.
"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," Venugopal said.
"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," he said.
Venugopal, however, said he did not believe Tharoor had made the remarks deliberately.
"All of us should take care, whether knowingly or unknowingly – and I don't believe he said it knowingly, nor is he likely to say it intentionally – to refrain from making such remarks," he said.
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Defending Rahul Gandhi's outreach to students, Venugopal said the Congress leader's programme in Allahabad had drawn participation from Gen Z and alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government had attempted to disrupt the event.
Venugopal also highlighted Rahul Gandhi's interventions on behalf of students who had allegedly faced police action during the protests.
"You might have seen who was the first to present the student affected by pellet guns to the public? Rahul Gandhi," he said.
"When female students were recently beaten up by male police officers – who presented those female students? Rahul Gandhi," he said.
He also referred to a protest march led by Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders towards the Prime Minister's residence in solidarity with students who had participated in the protests.
"Expressing solidarity with the students who participated in that protest, the Leader of the Opposition and all of us marched right up to the Prime Minister''s residence, in a manner never seen before in India. That was one of the largest protest marches the country has closely watched. It was for Gen Z," Venugopal said.
What did Shashi Tharoor say?
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, speaking at an event in Maharashtra on Friday, said Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron ki goonj' programme had raised the same issues as the Cockroach Janata Party.
When asked whether the 'Chhatron ki Goonj' rallies had failed to resonate as much as the protest at Jantar Mantar, Tharoor said, "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 cliche 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."
Tharoor on Saturday claimed that the media was interpreting his statement as "an attack on my own party or its leadership"