GenZ deserves better than undeclared Emer-GenZ: Tharoor slams government

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor criticized the Modi government on October 10, 2026, for its deployment of a war-like force in Delhi, declaring it an "undeclared Emer-GenZ." The government should provide answers and allow freedom of expression, not repression, Tharoor argued. He witnessed checkpoints, barriers, and spike strips across the city, with 22,000 police and paramilitary personnel deployed.

Over 250 trains were cancelled and 45 metro stations closed, and internet access was suspended in the heart of the capital. Jantar Mantar, historically a venue for dissent, was blocked off. Tharoor questioned the suspension of internet and free movement, noting that detained protesters would need release. He asserted that a confident government would welcome questions about its elections, while one that fortified its capital to avoid them only deepens the suspicions it aims to suppress.

Tharoor emphasized that the government should provide answers, not lathis; expression, not repression. He described the current situation in Delhi as shameful and unconscionable, highlighting that the strength of a democracy is measured by how it treats those who question its workings.