New Delhi: Kanhaiya Kumar, former president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union and leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI), is in touch with the Congress. There are rumors that Kanhaiya may join the Congress party in the coming days.
The youth leader of CPI met former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday. According to sources close to Kanhaiya, a meeting of both the leaders has been taking place in this regard. Apart from Kanhaiya, several other young faces including independent Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani are also likely to join the party. Hardik Patel is already in Congress.
Meanwhile, amidst speculation, CPI General Secretary D Raja met Kanhaiya Kumar on Thursday. As reported by Hindustan Times, he condemned and denied the rumours.
“I asked him about the speculations. And after our conversation I want to condemn these ongoing speculations. He is the youngest member of our national executive and is an asset to the party,” Raja said. Told HT.
“He is a member of our national executive (the equivalent of the CPIM politburo). He is free to meet any political leader. Can you guess if he will meet Sitaram Yechury? Earlier, he has also met other political leaders,” he was quoted as saying.
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What will be Kanhaiya’s role in Congress?
While D Raja denies the claims, the deliberations on including Kanhaiya in the Congress are in the final stages. Congress is planning to launch a nationwide movement against the Modi government.
Young leaders who have made their mark with the movement can be associated with this campaign. According to sources, Rahul Gandhi is forming a team of young leaders to surround PM Modi in 2024. To revive the Congress party, Rahul Gandhi is talking of forming a new team of young leaders who oppose the ideology of BJP.
Leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasad, Sushmita Dev, who were important members of Rahul’s old team, have left the Congress and joined other parties. Leaders like Randeep Surjewala and Milind Deora are now in the senior team.
Sources say that Kanhaiya Kumar will be seen in a national role in the Congress party. With Kanhaiya popular among the youth, Congress can get an important face in Bihar.
Notably, the RJD, an ally of the Congress in the state, has been opposing Kanhaiya. In such a situation, it will not be easy for the Congress to make Kanhaiya the face in Bihar by angering the RJD. Kanhaiya, an accused in the 2016 alleged anti-national sloganeering case, is also said to have hurt the Congress instead of helping.
Sources close to Kanhaiya say that to defeat the BJP, it is necessary to save the Congress and Rahul Gandhi is the only leader who can challenge the BJP at the national level. Kanhaiya, who has been associated with the Left, feels that there is a need to support Rahul Gandhi.
What can Congress achieve with Kanhaiya’s support?
Kanhaiya is a member of the National Executive of the Communist Party of India (CPI). Kanhaiya had challenged senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh from Bihar’s Begusarai seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and lost.
Kanhaiya is active in Bihar after the defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. He held public meetings against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Meanwhile, according to sources, Kanhaiya knows that being a CPI leader, he may remain in the news but it will be difficult for him to achieve political success. So he is looking for alternatives.
On the other hand, the Congress, which continues to lose ground in Bihar, is trying to promote future leadership by colluding with younger generation politicians like Tejashwi Yadav and Chirag Paswan.
Popular across the country for his speeches, Kanhaiya belongs to the Bhumihar community, which is inclined towards the BJP. Through Kanhaiya, Congress can give a message to this community. He is also liked among the minority community, Muslims.
Meanwhile, contrary to speculations, neither election strategist Prashant Kishor nor any other Congress leader has any role in the scheme. The delay in the announcement of the new president of Bihar Congress and the new committee is also being linked to Kanhaiya’s entry into the Congress, but according to reliable sources in the party, such speculations are baseless.
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