Gujarat’s Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani on Saturday introduced that he would be a part of the Congress together with former JNU scholar chief Kanhaiya Kumar on September 28 – a transfer that’s underway, and was confirmed by social gathering leaders in Delhi.
They will attend the capital within the presence of Rahul Gandhi and Gujarat Congress working president Hardik Patel. The date has a symbolic worth as it’s the delivery anniversary of Bhagat Singh.
A Dalit chief, 41-year-old Mevani, together with Hardik and Alpesh Thakor first emerged as a younger face difficult the BJP’s dominance in Gujarat in the course of the 2017 meeting elections. Kanhaiya, 34, is the previous president of the JNU Students’ Union, who garnered nationwide consideration with speeches in opposition to the Modi authorities, after which unsuccessfully tried his hand at electoral politics as a CPI candidate.
However, since then, a lot water has flowed beneath the bridge for each leaders – even the Congress is in rocker waters than earlier than. So, what do the 2 carry to the social gathering desk? As at all times within the Grand Old Party, opinion is split. Some leaders see it as disappointing to see the Gandhi brothers and sisters leaning in direction of the Left.
In a short assertion, Mevani, who gained the reserved Vadgam meeting seat in North Gujarat in 2017 with Congress help, mentioned: “On September 28, I will join the Indian National Congress along with Kanhaiya Kumar. Till then I have nothing more to say.”
Hardik on Saturday welcomed “all revolutionary leaders who want to work for the country and strengthen the Congress”, saying they need to accomplish that “without worrying about their personal ambitions and challenges”. Talking to PTI, he described Mevani as an ‘outdated buddy’ and mentioned that with Mevani’s arrival, the Congress shall be strengthened on the state and nationwide degree.
Hardik’s reference to “personal ambitions” is attention-grabbing given his dismay inside the Congress, which he joined in 2019 after main a profitable Patidar motion in opposition to the BJP. In an interview to The Indian Express, he had mentioned that the state management didn’t give him any work and was making an attempt to “pull me down”.
During the controversy for the JNU scholar union president’s publish in 2015, Kanhaiya, the candidate of the CPI scholar wing AISF, had proven his oratorical abilities with paraphrasing of a couplet to famously assault each the BJP and Congress: “Barbaad Hindustan karne ko ek hi Congress kafi tha… Har rajya main BJP baitha hai, barbaad e gulistan kya hoga.”
Apart from the truth that each Kumar and Mevani are fiery orators, the Congress additionally has state-specific counts.
Mevani was in talks with the Congress lengthy earlier than the BJP modified his total ministry in Gujarat, however the reforms for the social gathering have made his alternative much more vital, given the brand new caste dynamics. Patel is the brand new chief minister of the BJP, whereas the AAP can be specializing in the neighborhood within the state elections subsequent 12 months. Congress’s technique is to woo OBCs and Dalits. After the Una whipping incident, Mevani had emerged because the face of the Dalit protest in Gujarat.
Hardik, who’s making an attempt to make him state chief for the Congress, is claimed to have labored behind the scenes to get Mevani inducted.
Many Congress leaders in Gujarat think about the transfer as well timed contemplating their lengthy stint within the state unit. The social gathering has not been capable of appoint an AICC in-charge for Gujarat because the loss of life of Rajiv Satav in May. Party leaders are insisting on giving a transparent sign to the OBC and Dalit neighborhood.
Joining Mevani in addition to selling Scheduled Caste chief Charanjit Singh Channi as Chief Minister of Punjab (additionally seen because the Young Gandhi household) is predicted to speak the Congress into reaching out to the neighborhood. .
In Bihar too, Congress is hanging within the steadiness, AICC in-charge Bhakta Charan Das is making a number of proposals to the excessive command for the reorganization of the Bihar unit with none determination. Sources mentioned the social gathering has delayed the appointment of the brand new state president in view of the induction of Kanhaiya.
The Congress has been within the political jungle in Bihar for the previous three a long time, at the same time as ally RJD was seen dragging its ft within the meeting elections final 12 months. It had gained solely 19 seats out of 70.
Mevani and Kanhaiya slot in with the previous Left leaders who at the moment are a part of the tight circle of Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. For instance, a key member of Priyanka’s workforce is former JNU AISA chief Sandeep Singh. AISA is the coed wing of CPI(ML) Liberation. Mohit Pandey, one other former JNUSU president from AISA, was the pinnacle of the social media division of the Uttar Pradesh Congress, which Priyanka takes care of as AICC normal secretary.
Besides, the Congress expects Kanhaiya and Mevani’s entry to be good as a number of youth leaders – Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sushmita Dev, Jitin Prasada, Priyanka Chaturvedi and Laliteshpati Tripathi – have stop the social gathering within the final two years. The first battleground the place the social gathering can use these two is Uttar Pradesh.
With ENS, Ahmedabad
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
