- Rahul Gandhi's student protests saw participation from genuine Gen Z members and leaders, KC Venugopal said
- KC Venugopal urged Congress leaders to avoid comments that could help the BJP
- Venugopal said Shashi Tharoor's controversial remarks could be unintentional
Rahul Gandhi's protests on students' issues had seen participation from the "Real Gen Z" and Congress leaders should be careful while making comments, senior party leader KC Venugopal said today. His warning came in connection with party MP Shashi Tharoor's comment comparing the protest with the one spearheaded by the Cockroach Janata Party.
Venugopal said he did not believe Tharoor had made such 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 was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.
"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 added.
At an event on Friday, Tharoor had referred to the Congress protests.
"Interestingly, the issues taken up by the CJP were something my party took up, Rahul Gandhi took up with Chhatron Ki Goonj... But we have to see why it did not resonate as much. We need to have a finger on the pulse of the people," he had said.
Gandhi's "Chatron ka goonj" was launched on June 17 from Rajasthan's Kota - days before the CJP protests made headlines with the police crackdown on it.
The CJP had started its demonstration at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on June 20, demanding accountability for question paper leaks. One of its key demands was the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Tharoor, not known for strictly abiding to the party line, had also said that the Congress was the most democratic of parties and for anyone in the BJP, speaking their mind about anything would be inconceivable.
"I am not disloyal to my party but I express my independent views. Sometimes my views can be used by my opponents. The Congress is the least undemocratic. Have you heard of anyone expressing dissent in the BJP and survive? I am in the party that is closest to my views," he had said.
