'We The Chhotu': Congress Wing's Reaction To Neha Bora's Centrality At Rahul Gandhi Events

The prominence given to Neha Bora, president of the Left-aligned All India Students' Association (AISA), on Congress platforms led to resentment among office-bearers of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the party's own wing, with a disgruntled member renaming an official WhatsApp group to 'WE THE Chhotu' for three days, 'chhotu' in Hindi here denoting 'small' or 'errand-runner'. Others spoke on the subject too. Sources told NDTV the name was changed back only after NSUI office-bearers met Rahul Gandhi and their grievance was set aside.

On October 12, as INDIA bloc leaders marched to the Supreme Court to raise the issue of alleged electoral fraud, Bora was one of two women who walked in front and on whose shoulders Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi rested his hands. One was Rahul's sister, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and the one on his right was Neha Bora. Bora was also seen in the bus that carried top leaders, and later on the truck where a select few led by Rahul stood amid a sea of fellow protesters. NSUI leadership was there too, including national president Vinod Jakhar.

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Yet, the prominence given to Bora, who has emerged as a running motif of the protest -- sometimes even ahead of the headline-dominating Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) -- did not sit well with NSUI leaders, who were aggrieved that while they were toiling for the party's protest, the stage was being handed to the leader of another organisation, the sources told NDTV.

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The Congress and the Left often work together despite being rivals in states like Kerala. And AISA's parent body CPI(ML)-Liberation is part of the INDIA bloc. CPI(ML) chief Dipankar Bhattacharya is seen as a philosopher-guide to Rahul. But the NSUI and AISA are rivals in student union elections at several universities.

Bora, who has emerged as a youth leader in recent months, had sat on a long hunger strike at Jantar Mantar during the CJP-led agitation that led to the change of the education minister over paper leaks. She subsequently met Rahul Gandhi at 10 Janpath, and the two held a joint press conference. NSUI leaders felt uneasy then, too, it is learnt.

As the Supreme Court march ended and Rahul Gandhi and other senior INDIA bloc leaders went inside for paperwork related to a petition, NSUI office-bearers began raising questions in the 'Delhi Coordination' WhatsApp group. A member then changed the group's name to 'WE THE Chhotu'. "Are we only here to gather crowds?" some of them asked. Another message read, "Not a single one from NSUI has been able to become a leader in eyes of anyone- either the leaders of our own party or the citizens in general. What are we working for exactly?”, while yet another praised Neha Bora as "a remarkable leader" but expressed unhappiness over her being central while waving to a "the crowd gathered by the NSUI".

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Despite the NSUI's displeasure, Bora was seen at Rahul Gandhi's residence the next day. After the attempted marches to the Election Commission, Jantar Mantar, Rajghat, Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Supreme Court, Rahul Gandhi on the evening of October 13 invited all INDIA bloc MPs, some social activists and a few student leaders, including Bora, to tea at his residence and thanked them. The Congress had also sent an invitation to Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), but he could not attend as he was out of Delhi. The tea was followed by a press conference at which Bora was also given a chance to speak.

After watching Bora share the stage with Rahul Gandhi for two days in a row, NSUI and Youth Congress workers began to lose patience and were openly raising questions within the organisation. The Congress high command was informed of the young leaders' displeasure. The meeting with Rahul Gandhi is believed to have been arranged to placate them. At the meeting, young wings' coordinator Kanhaiya Kumar was seen too. A day before that, Rahul Gandhi had met some protesters, including two women NSUI activists, who alleged that police had misbehaved with and assaulted them.

NSUI workers changed the WhatsApp group's name back only after the meeting with Rahul Gandhi. For three days, the official NSUI group, whose members include NSUI in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar, president Vinod Jakhar and all office-bearers, remained 'WE THE Chhotu'.

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NSUI,IYC,Sevadal Congress के साथ राहुल जी समेत शीर्ष नेतृत्व ने मुलाकात की https://t.co/cV2wJiDIMT

— Atul Londhe Patil (INDIA Ka Parivar)🇮🇳 (@atullondhe) October 15, 2026

No one, however, raised these issues in front of Rahul Gandhi, sources told NDTV. Asked why they did not complain directly to the leader, an NSUI office-bearer said, "All our pain went away the moment we met our leader, whether it was the police batons or the 'Chhotu' pain. On the path shown by our leader Rahul Gandhi, we will keep fighting this government and the ideology of the RSS-BJP, and further strengthen the student movement."

Interestingly, while no one raised the Neha Bora issue in front of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra praised a campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar started by NSUI office-bearer Akhilesh Yadav, who had renamed the WhatsApp group, NDTV learnt. Yadav was not available for comment. Congress Seva Dal chief BV Srinivas was also praised for getting the protest sites cleaned up afterwards.

NSUI president Vinod Jakhar denied any resentment over Neha Bora. Congress media in-charge Pawan Khera said the Congress is a platform for every voice that raises people's concerns.