Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Shashi Tharoor clarifies Rahul Gandhi remark, says media misrepresented him
Shashi Tharoor is a leader of a big political group in India called the Congress party.
He is very good with words and speaks at many meetings.
He went to a youth event called IIMUN in the city of Mumbai.
There, he said that political parties do not give young people enough chances to become leaders.
He asked why young people are only told to stand behind senior leaders.
He was asked about 'Chhatron ki Goonj,' a programme run by Rahul Gandhi, another Congress leader.
Tharoor agreed that it had not become as popular as a protest by a group called the Cockroach Janata Party.
After that, some news reports said Tharoor was attacking his own party.
Tharoor said the media got his words wrong.
He shared the full video of his talk so people could watch and judge for themselves.
At an India's International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN) event in Mumbai on August 7, Shashi Tharoor said opposition parties had failed to create pathways for young people to enter politics.
He agreed that Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron ki Goonj' had not resonated as much as the Cockroach Janata Party's Jantar Mantar protest among Gen Z.
On Saturday, he said it took 'a particular combination of incompetence and malice' for some media to interpret his remarks as an attack on his own party or its leadership.
He shared the full, unedited video of his conversation with Rishabh Shah on X, while his office shared part of it, saying 'context is often more instructive than commentary.'
Tharoor warned that established parties risk becoming irrelevant unless they listen to new voices, urging parties to 'wake up and smell the coffee.'
- Who
- Shashi Tharoor, Congress leader, Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha MP and former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, responding to coverage of his remarks about Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron ki Goonj' programme.
- What
- Tharoor clarified that his remarks were a call for political parties to open doors and create pathways for young people, accusing some media of misrepresenting them as an attack on his party or its leadership.
- When
- He clarified on Saturday (August 8), a day after his conversation at the IIMUN event in Mumbai on Friday, August 7.
- Where
- Mumbai, at the India's International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN) 15th anniversary event; he also referenced the Cockroach Janata Party's protest at Jantar Mantar.
- Why
- To stress that parties must listen to and empower the next generation, and to correct what he called media misrepresentation of his remarks.
Media's interpretation
Tharoor's clarification
Meaning of Tharoor's remarks
Media's interpretation
Some media interpreted Tharoor's agreement that Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron ki Goonj' had not resonated as much as the Cockroach Janata Party's protest as an attack on his own party and its leadership.
Tharoor's clarification
Tharoor said this was a misrepresentation; his point was that political parties must open their doors and create pathways so the next generation can shape politics, not criticism of his party or leadership.
Assessment of 'Chhatron ki Goonj'
Media's interpretation
Tharoor's reply of 'Correct' was framed as confirmation that Rahul Gandhi's student outreach programme had failed to connect with Gen Z.
Tharoor's clarification
Tharoor said his answer was a prompt for self-examination — 'why we need to ask ourselves what we failed to do' — a challenge facing all opposition parties, not a critique of any particular leader.
- Person
- Shashi Tharoor, Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha MP
- Party
- Congress
- Venue
- India's International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN) 15th anniversary event, Mumbai
- Event date
- August 7 (IIMUN conversation); clarification made on Saturday, August 8
- Related events
- Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron ki Goonj' rallies; Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar over alleged exam irregularities
- Clarification channel
- Post on X sharing the full unedited video; Tharoor's office also shared a video excerpt
- Former role
- Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
- Key warning
- Established parties risk irrelevance unless they listen to new voices, including Gen Z
