Can Kanhaiya Kumar Save the Congress, that is a big question. On Tuesday, Kanhaiya Kumar said he switched he joined the grand old party Congress in a bid to ‘save’ the Congress party and the nation.
Kanhaiya Kumar added, “Not just me, but many think the nation can’t survive without CongressCongress 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.”
But what is Kanhaiya Kumar likely to bring to the Congress party that would help ‘save’ the party? His argument conversely betrays his understanding that the Congress needs to be ‘saved’.
Kanhaiya Kumar shot to fame after a 2016 incident on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) premises, where he led a protest meeting against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Narendra Modi government.
Only time will tell whether Kanhaiya Kumar can revive Congress fortunes
The event turned out to be controversial with allegations that anti-national slogans — including ‘Bharat tere tukde honge’ [India shall break into pieces] — were raised at the event.
This brought Kanhaiya Kumar to the limelight and TV studios, particularly after he was released on bail from jail in the sedition case that was lodged after the JNU incident.
His TV appearances articulating his position while criticising the Modi government’s policy fast-tracked his elevation as a Lok Sabha election candidate on CPI ticket from Begusarai in Bihar. He lost the election to Union Minister Giriraj Singh.