‘Need to introspect’: Tharoor admits Congress’ paper leak campaign failed to match CJP’s impact

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday acknowledged that the party’s student outreach campaign failed to generate the impact of the recent protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), despite Congress raising similar issues earlier.

Speaking at an event marking the 15th anniversary of the India’s International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN) in Mumbai, Tharoor said issues raised by the CJP at Jantar Mantar had already featured in Congress’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign, through which Rahul Gandhi had interacted with students over alleged examination irregularities and paper leaks.

“The issues taken up by the CJP at Jantar Mantar had been taken up by us earlier,” Tharoor said. However, he admitted that the Congress campaign did not resonate with students to the same extent.

“We need to ask ourselves what did we fail to do? Did we fail to listen? Was our finger missing from the pulse of Gen Z?” he said, calling for introspection within the party.

The CJP began protests against the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak on June 20, demanding accountability from the government and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The agitation gained wider attention after educationist and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike in support of the students’ demands.

The party later called for a Parliament march on July 20. Wangchuk was removed from the Jantar Mantar protest site shortly before the planned march, while police action against protesting students on July 20 triggered a political controversy, with opposition parties alleging the use of pellet guns and AK-47 rifles.

Congress had also protested paper leaks

Congress’s student wing, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), was among the early organisations to protest alleged examination irregularities. According to PTI, the NSUI held a major demonstration in Delhi on May 12, days after the National Testing Agency cancelled the NEET examination following allegations of a paper leak.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, subsequently launched the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign from Kota in Rajasthan on June 17. The outreach later moved to Dehradun, where Gandhi met students and families affected by alleged examination irregularities.

Referring to the campaign’s three-city outreach, Gandhi said the Congress had highlighted issues ranging from alleged exploitation of students and examination irregularities to the country’s job crisis.

Tharoor’s remarks highlight the challenge before Congress in connecting its existing political messaging with younger voters, particularly Gen Z, amid growing student-led protests over education, examinations and employment.