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An NSUI WhatsApp group was renamed ‘Chotu’ after workers reportedly felt sidelined when newcomer Neha Bora was given prominence at a press conference alongside Rahul Gandhi.
Hours after Neha Bora was seen alongside the Gandhis at a joint press conference, Rahul Gandhi encouraged her to address the media. (X)
“Chotu.” That was the name of the NSUI WhatsApp group for over 24 hours. It has since reverted to its original name, but only after Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge met leaders and workers of the NSUI, Seva Dal and Indian Youth Congress.
So, what triggered the name change?
Hours after Neha Bora was seen alongside the Gandhis at a joint press conference, Rahul Gandhi encouraged her to address the media. Her sudden prominence reportedly ruffled feathers within the NSUI and Youth Congress, with workers feeling sidelined as newcomers were pushed into the spotlight.
Their resentment was also fuelled by what they saw as unequal treatment. While Rahul Gandhi held a press conference with injured Left leaders and protesters, neither he nor other senior Congress leaders held a similar interaction with injured NSUI workers. In fact, it was only after concerns were raised that someone from the party leadership visited the hospital where injured NSUI leaders were admitted.
The group’s new name, “Chotu”, became a symbolic expression of that resentment.
Team Rahul soon sensed the disquiet. At a tea party at Indira Bhavan, Rahul Gandhi called the workers his Babbar Sher, praising them for standing by the party and for their work during the protests. He contrasted their loyalty with that of leaders who had quit to join the BJP.
The group name was subsequently changed back. But the message had landed: grassroots workers cannot be taken for granted.
There is growing resentment among sections of the NSUI and Youth Congress that newcomers such as Neha Bora are getting opportunities that loyal party workers have waited years for. Kanhaiya Kumar’s appointment as NSUI in-charge has also fuelled the debate over outsiders versus established cadres. The DU elections debacle has further strengthened the argument that the party must value its organisational base.
This discontent may also explain why senior Congress leaders and members of Team Rahul chose to stay away from Friday’s Tiranga protest called by Abhijeet Dipke under the CJP banner. The leadership was conscious that the NSUI and Youth Congress already felt left out.
When Rahul Gandhi took charge of the Congress, he envisaged the NSUI and Seva Dal becoming powerful grassroots organisations, much like the RSS is for the BJP. They were meant to build a disciplined cadre and strengthen the party on the ground. That vision remains largely unrealised.
The rise of young faces from outside the traditional party structure has revived an old dilemma: how to promote fresh talent without alienating loyal workers.
The “Chotus” never needed to file a formal complaint. Their WhatsApp group did the talking. For 24 hours, its name conveyed a simple message to the Congress leadership: recognise the workers who stayed, not just the newcomers who arrived.
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Ask News18The group changed its name after grassroots workers felt sidelined and showed resentment when newcomer Neha Bora was pushed into the spotlight alongside senior leaders at a joint press conference, while injured party workers experienced unequal treatment.
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Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. S…Read More
October 17, 2026, 07:51 IST
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