bjp-uses-tewari-s-nepo-kids-post-to-target-rahul-gandhi

Congress leader Manish Tewari's recent comments on rising public discontent with entitlement in South and East Asia have sparked a political row. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has seized on his remarks, which highlighted a growing rejection of dynastic politics among younger generations in several Asian nations, to launch an attack on Rahul Gandhi. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party's IT cell head, Amit Malviya, quickly branded Rahul Gandhi as the "ultimate Nepo kid," suggesting that discontent with his leadership exists even within the Congress party. While Tewari clarified that his post was a broader commentary on national security and regional trends, the BJP continues to use his words to target Gandhi.

 

https://twitter.com/ManishTewari/status/1970346006517891074

 

In his X post, Tewari highlighted the toppling of leaders such as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka in July 2023, Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh in July 2024, KP Sharma Oli in Nepal in September 2025, and ongoing protests against Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the Philippines. He wrote, “ENTITLEMENT IS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE TO GEN X, Y, Z,” emphasising the role of social media in amplifying public outrage and fueling resistance against dynastic politics. Tewari’s remarks underscored a broader regional trend of youth-driven movements challenging entrenched political elites.

The BJP was quick to capitalise on Tewari’s statement, framing it as an indirect jab at Rahul Gandhi, whom they labelled the “ultimate Nepo Kid of Indian politics”. 

 

https://twitter.com/amitmalviya/status/1970360157235524077

 

Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s IT cell, responded on X, stating, “Forget Gen Z, even Congress’s own veterans are fed up with his regressive politics. The revolt is now from within!” The BJP’s narrative sought to portray Tewari’s comments as evidence of internal dissent within the Congress party, particularly aimed at Gandhi’s leadership.

Tewari, however, rejected the BJP's effort to connect his comments to Gandhi. In a strong response, he said, "Gosh, I just wish some people would grow up in life." He encouraged the conversation not to turn into a political fight between Congress and BJP, and emphasised the importance of looking at bigger changes happening in South and East Asia. Tewari also said that these trends in different regions might have big effects on India's security, and he urged people to understand the situation more deeply. 

 

https://twitter.com/ManishTewari/status/1970361947129553236

 

The controversy happened around the time Rahul Gandhi made a social media post where he thanked India's Gen Z and students for standing up for the Constitution and fighting against what he called "vote chori." This post came not long after youth-led protests in Nepal caused the government led by KP Sharma Oli to fall in September 2025. The BJP accused Gandhi of attempting to incite similar unrest in India, warning that the country’s youth were firmly opposed to dynastic politics and corruption. 

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, a vocal critic of Gandhi, remarked, “Gen Z is against dynastic politics. Why would they tolerate Rahul after Nehru, Indira, Rajiv and Sonia? They are against corruption – why won’t they drive you out?” Dubey further accused Gandhi of “instigating the youth, students and students of the country” and suggested that Gandhi could face a backlash if Gen Z’s frustration erupted.

Tewari’s Outspoken Persona and Congress Internal Dynamics

While Tewari did not explicitly name anyone in his X post, his remarks reflect his reputation as an outspoken figure within the Congress party. The Anandpur Sahib MP has often been vocal about the need for internal reforms, a stance that has occasionally put him at odds with the party leadership. Notably, Tewari, along with fellow Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, was excluded from the list of speakers for a parliamentary discussion on Operation Sindoor, despite both being part of the government’s all-party delegations that travelled to various countries to highlight Pakistan’s support for terrorism.

In response to this exclusion, Tewari shared a screenshot of a news report on X, highlighting the snub, and accompanied it with lyrics from the patriotic song Purab Aur Pachhim (1970): “Hai preet jahaan ki reet sada, main geet wahaan ke gaata hoon, Bharat ka rehne waala hoon, Bharat ki baat sunata hoon. Jai Hind” (I love the customs of that place, I sing songs of that place, I am a resident of India, I tell stories of India). When questioned by reporters in Parliament about his cryptic post, Tewari responded, “There is a saying, ‘If you don’t understand my silences, you will never understand my words.’” 

Sources revealed that Tewari had expressed his desire to participate in the Operation Sindoor debate by writing to the office of the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, but the Congress leadership opted not to include him.

Tewari’s outspokenness is consistent with his long-standing advocacy for internal reforms within the Congress party. In August 2020, he was part of the 23 top Congress leaders, known as the G-23, who sent a letter to Sonia Gandhi, who was the temporary leader of the party at that time, asking for urgent elections within the party and more effective leadership. 

 

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi's 'Gen Z' remark sparks BJP's stinging reply

A letter signed by leaders like Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Prithviraj Chavan, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal, and Tewari asked for a major change in the party's organisation because of the continuous losses in Lok Sabha and state elections. The effort to bring about changes was greatly influenced by the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, where Rahul Gandhi lost his Amethi constituency to Smriti Irani from the BJP. 

 

The G-23 leaders said that having a more democratic and responsible party system was necessary to bring the Congress back into shape, especially since their organisation is getting smaller. The current debate about Tewari's comments shows that there are still big disagreements inside the Congress party and between it and the BJP. 

Tewari's comments were made in the context of local political trends, but the BJP's quick reaction shows their plan to take advantage of any disagreements within the Congress party, especially against Rahul Gandhi's leadership. As the discussion goes on, Tewari's emphasis on looking at the bigger picture of these events reminds us how closely connected national politics and regional situations are.

 

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