New Delhi: Ending months of speculation Communist Party of India (CPI) leader and former JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar joined the Congress on Tuesday. He was accompanied by independent MLA from Gujarat Jignesh Mevani also spoke strongly in support of the Congress ideology but did not join the party formally.
“I am joining the Congress because it’s not just a party, it’s an idea. It’s the country’s oldest and most democratic party, and I am emphasising on ‘democratic’…Not just me, but many think the country can’t survive without Congress,” Kumar said at a press meet after joining Congress.
“Congress party is like a big ship. If it’s saved, I believe many people’s aspirations, Mahatma Gandhi’s oneness, Bhagat Singh’s courage, and BR Ambedkar’s idea of equality will be protected, too. This is why I have joined it.”
He felt that a particular ideology was trying to ruin India’s values, culture, history, and future. He also claimed that “crores of youngsters” feel that the country “can’t be saved without saving the Congress”.
Kumar was earlier with the Communist Party of India (CPI) which he joined ahead of the 2019 general election. He then contested from his hometown Begusarai in Bihar against the BJP’s Giriraj Singh of the BJP but failed to win.
A former president of the JNU Students’ Union, Kumar was jailed over alleged “anti-national slogans” raised at an event in 2016 to mark the death anniversary of Parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru.
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