The AISA chief had faced flak from one of the 215 Indian Youth Congress workers suspended recently, who argued that her uneven rise to prominence within the INDIA bloc was sidelining the old guard.

The AISA chief had faced flak from one of the 215 Indian Youth Congress workers suspended recently, who argued that her uneven rise to prominence within the INDIA bloc was sidelining the old guard.

The AISA chief had faced flak from one of the 215 Indian Youth Congress workers suspended recently, who argued that her uneven rise to prominence within the INDIA bloc was sidelining the old guard.

All India Students' Association (AISA) chief Neha Bora growing role in the INDIA bloc's ongoing protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has received backlash again, in the wake of more than 200 Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers suspended recently.

Among the 215 party workers across eight states suspended for not attending the Congress-led INDIA bloc's November 1 Ramlila Ground rally was Rahul Rajoria, the IYC general secretary for Madhya Pradesh, who criticised the party's bias towards Bora.

Rajoria had told local media outlets that while it was good to promote fresh faces in the organisation, older and struggling workers should also be given appropriate responsibilities.

He also questioned how he could be suspended from the party, despite informing the party leadership beforehand that he would be missing the November 1 rally due to a funeral.

The IYC leader, who claims to have endured countless beatings, jail terms, and legal cases for the party since 2010, is likely to meet Congress leaders in Delhi to dispute his exit.

This is the latest in the tensions faced by INDIA bloc parties over Bora's growing role, and comes just days after she faced flak across the board for her video speaking out against the "Brahmanical and casteist system", under which she claimed priests raped women in temples.

This led to backlash from not just the BJP, which labelled her the "poster girl" for Rahul Gandhi's "anti-Hindu" politics, but also from INDIA bloc allies as well. Samajwadi Party's Ghosi MP Rajeev Rai, for example, warned that making such sweeping statements was "not appropriate".

"Every religion has both good and bad people; we shouldn't make such generalisations ... We should avoid them. That is exactly what the BJP wants; why should we fall into their trap?" he told ANI.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also called the assertions "highly unfortunate", and an example of "radical thinking".

"I have always maintained that this kind of radical thinking—whether from the Left or the Right—is harmful to the nation," the former Rajya Sabha MP noted.

This marks a difference from the time Bora's 'regime change' statement went viral—when she had declared that India's anti-CEC protests were like Bangladesh's fight to restore "democratic and voter rights".

This is because, at the time, the comment had only received flak from the BJP and its allies, and not INDIA bloc members themselves.

A month before this, she had also been the subject of a name change in the official National Students' Union of India (NSUI) WhatsApp group.

The group's name had been changed to 'WE THE Chhotu' for three days in mid-October, using the Hindi term for errand runners, by disgruntled NSUI workers to signal their displeasure with Bora's uneven rise within the party.

Reports say that this satirical name was only changed back three days later, when the party workers met with Rahul Gandhi.

It is yet to be seen how this shapes Bora's role within the INDIA bloc protests going forward, given that she remains under strict legal scrutiny.

This is not only because she was detained by the Delhi Police multiple times over the course of the protests, but also due to the tensions over signing peace bonds in connection with the anti-CEC protests on October 16.

Later that month, in a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) court hearing that brought up multiple FIRs and other documents cited by the Delhi Police, she refused to sign a peace bond for the fourth time, arguing that her actions during the October 16 Tiranga march could not be construed as a breach of peace.

This has effectively restricted the AISA chief's options for a solo protest call, forcing her to fit her rally-related agenda within the ambit of the INDIA bloc's protest activities.

This has visibly subjected the bloc to internal tensions, not only because her statements have given ammunition to the ruling NDA alliance, but also because it has—as in the NSUI WhatsApp case—skewed the representation of party workers in the ongoing protests.

With Bora under strict scrutiny ahead of her next SEM hearing scheduled for November 20, it is yet to be seen how the INDIA bloc will navigate the growing internal tensions over her, which comes at the risk of friction amid the cadres at the grassroots.