Guwahati News Desk: Former Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Kanhaiya Kumar joined the Congress party at New Delhi on Tuesday.
Kumar joined the party in presence of senior party leader Rahul Gandhi.
In addition, the independent MLA from Gujarat’s Vadgam constituency, Jignesh Mevani, also pledged support to the party, saying though he has not formally joined the Congress, but has joined the party’s ideology.
According to sources, the induction of the two young leaders was done in an event held at the party headquarters in Delhi.
Stating that the induction of the two young leaders into the Congress was a special occasion, the Congress spokesperson, Randeep Singh, said that both Kanhaiya Kumar and Jignesh Mevani have been vocal against the Modi government at the Centre and have been championing the cause of those on the margins.
The General Secretary of Congress, K.C. Venugopal called Kanhaiya Kumar a symbol of “fighting for freedom of expression in the country”.
Regarding Kanhaiya Kumar, he is a former student union leader at Jawarharlal Nehru University (JNU) and had joined the CPI before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. He contested on a CPI ticket from Begusarai against BJP’s Giriraj Singh but failed to win.
Regarding, Jignesh Mevani, he is an independent legislator from Gujarat’s Vadgam constituency. In addition, although Mevani has not formally joined the Congress, he has stated that he would contest on the party symbol in next year’s Gujarat Assembly election.
Explaining the reason for joining the Congress Kumar said, “I am joining the country’s oldest and the most democratic party, because I feel and so do many other young people, that if the Congress does not survive, then the country will not survive.”
Moreover, Kumar’s entry into the Congress created disquiet with many wondering if a Left-ward shift will do any good to the party.
