‘Be careful’: KC Venugopal warns Congress leaders after Tharoor’s CJP remark

Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal has cautioned party leaders to be careful with their public comments, after party MP Shashi Tharoor compared Congress's student protests led by Rahul Gandhi with those of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

Venugopal said Rahul Gandhi's protests over students' issues had attracted participation from the “real Gen Z” and urged Congress leaders to avoid remarks that could inadvertently benefit the BJP.

His comments came after Tharoor appeared to draw a comparison between the issues raised by the CJP and those taken up by the Congress through Rahul Gandhi's ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign.

“I don't believe he said it knowingly, nor is he likely to say it intentionally,” Venugopal was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.

“All of us should take care, whether knowingly or unknowingly, to refrain from making such remarks,” he added.

Venugopal also said that even when Congress members did not strictly follow party frameworks or discipline, they should be cautious about making statements that could “appease the BJP”.

Tharoor, speaking at an event on Friday, had referred to the Congress's student protests while discussing the CJP's campaign.

“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 said.

Rahul Gandhi launched ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ in Rajasthan's Kota on 17 June, days before the CJP's protests gained national attention following a police crackdown.

The CJP began its demonstration at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on 20 June, demanding accountability over question paper leaks. One of its key demands was the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Tharoor, who has frequently expressed views independent of the party's official position, also defended his right to voice dissent within the Congress.

“I am not disloyal to my party but I express my independent views. Sometimes my views can be used by my opponents,” he said, describing the Congress as “the least undemocratic” party.

“Have you heard of anyone expressing dissent in the BJP and survive? I am in the party that is closest to my views,” Tharoor added.