Unease has grown within the Congress after far-left anarchist Neha Bora was seen walking alongside Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during the Opposition march to the Supreme Court on October 12. While the march was organised to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Bora’s presence alongside the Congress leadership has triggered questions within the party, especially among members of its student wing, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI).
The issue has also brought attention to the Congress’s growing association with Left student leaders at a time when the party is trying to expand its support base and attract voters from different sections of society.
NSUI questions prominence given to AISA president
Several NSUI members are unhappy with the importance given to Bora during the march. They questioned why the president of a rival student organisation was given such visibility when the Congress has its own large student wing.
The pictures and videos of Bora walking with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra drew attention, especially as several senior Congress leaders were also trying to be seen alongside the party’s top leadership. Some NSUI members felt that their organisation had been pushed into the background during an event in which the Congress played a major role.
The concern is not limited to the march. Bora also shared the stage with senior Congress leaders at a press conference of the INDIA bloc on Tuesday, further raising questions among party workers about the growing space given to AISA leaders.
The AISA website, meanwhile, describes NSUI and the BJP’s student organisation, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), as right-wing and anti-people groups. Its manifesto says AISA has been fighting against organisations such as NSUI and ABVP over their anti-student and anti-people positions.
This has made some Congress workers question the decision to give a prominent place to a leader from an organisation that has openly criticised their own student wing.
Congress leaders raise concerns with the top brass
Some Congress leaders have questioned why the party needs to give so much importance to Left student leaders when it already has an established organisation like NSUI.
A Congress leader pointed out that AISA has a strong presence mainly at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and questioned whether bringing Left student leaders into the Congress had helped the party strengthen its position on university campuses. The leader also noted that NSUI has little presence in JNU despite the Congress’s association with former Left student leaders.
Another concern within the party is that student leaders from left-wing backgrounds often appear more confident and effective in public discussions. Congress workers say they are skilled at raising slogans, putting forward political arguments and staying active on the ground, which sometimes makes NSUI workers appear less prepared.
The Congress has been trying to bring different groups under its umbrella, including voters who may hold conservative Hindu views. Some leaders believe that a closer association with Left politics, particularly its criticism of religious practices, could make it harder to attract these voters.
Rahul Gandhi’s response: ‘Seeking credit, you’re in the wrong party’
Amid the growing discontent, Rahul Gandhi is learnt to have sent a clear message to the party’s youth and student leaders. At a meeting with members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), NSUI and Seva Dal at the Congress headquarters, he reportedly said that those who joined the party to seek credit were in the wrong organisation.
Gandhi was accompanied by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, IYC chief Uday Bhanu Chib and NSUI president Vinod Jakhar.
According to a leader who attended the meeting, Gandhi told the workers that the Congress had worked for the country for decades without always receiving credit. He urged them not to expect recognition for every contribution they made within the organisation.
He also spoke about the difficulties faced by party workers during the recent protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Gandhi reportedly said that the suffering and police action faced by protesters would make them stronger.
In a separate remark, he is learnt to have said that a broken leg should not be treated only as a medical emergency but also as a badge of honour carried in the heart.
Gandhi also reminded the youth leaders that organisations such as IYC and NSUI provide opportunities to learn leadership, discipline, sacrifice and resilience. He told them to use these experiences to prepare for greater responsibilities in the future.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reminds youth leaders of their responsibility
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also addressed the youth leaders at the meeting, stressing that their behaviour and actions reflect the values of the Congress.
She reportedly told them that the party’s youth organisations were its strength and future, adding that the senior leadership drew strength from their work. She asked them to remember that they represented the entire party and not just themselves.
The remarks came amid the continuing questions over Bora’s prominence during the march and the Congress leadership’s approach towards Left student leaders.
After the meeting, Kharge said that young people had always played an important role in shaping India’s political direction. In a post on X, he praised the party’s youth and frontal organisations for defending democratic rights, questioning the government and protecting the credibility of institutions.
The episode has brought internal differences over the role of NSUI, the prominence of Left-wing student leaders and the Congress’s political strategy into focus. While the party leadership has called on its younger members to concentrate on their responsibilities, questions remain among some cadres about how the Congress plans to balance its own organisational interests with its ties to Opposition allies.
