Congress MP Manish Tewari's social media post about Gen-Z dislike of entitlement and “nepo kids” sparked yet another back-and-forth over the issue with the ruling BJP — with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, directly and indirectly, at the centre of the exchange as the alleged “ultimate” example of nepotism.
It began with a post on X on September 23 morning by Tewari about protests led by young men and women in India's neighbourhood having toppled regimes in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and most recently in Nepal; and the ongoing protests in the Philippines.
"Entitlement is no longer acceptable to Gen X, Y, Z," the Lok Sabha member from Chandigarh wrote as part of the post. He purportedly signalled that he would soon write about “The Social Media Trends that toppled or are challenging ‘dynasts'”.
BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya picked on this in less than an hour.
Malviya characterised Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi as the "ultimate nepo kid of Indian politics" and Tewari's post as "revolt is now from within". This has two-pronged context. One, that Rahul comes from a family lineage of politics. Two, Tewari has over the years taken stances different from his party's on many issues, including most recently with his participation in the Narendra Modi government's global outreach after Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. Shashi Tharoor is the other prominent Congress leader among this lot.
But Tewari quickly dismissed the linkage, retorting seven minutes later. “I just wish that some people would grow up in life,” he wrote, insisting that his reference was to “serious national security implications” and the need to understand these protests “in the correct perspective”.
{{/usCountry}}But Tewari quickly dismissed the linkage, retorting seven minutes later. “I just wish that some people would grow up in life,” he wrote, insisting that his reference was to “serious national security implications” and the need to understand these protests “in the correct perspective”.
{{/usCountry}}“Everything does not have to be dumbed down to a Cong - BJP he said she said or targeting X or Y,” his post read.
This isn't the first time Gen Z and Rahul Gandhi are at the centre of a Congress-BJP spat.
Rahul Gandhi was first to mention Gen Z, “for defending the Constitution”, just days after youth-led protests replaced the government in Nepal.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had accused Rahul Gandhi of attempting to provoke similar unrest in India. Dubey even claimed Gen Z in India would want a Hindu nation.
As for Tewari's alleged revolt, not long ago, after not being listed as a speaker by the Congress for a Parliament debate on Op Sindoor, he had remarked: “There is a saying, 'If you don't understand my silences, you will never understand my words'.”