CPI leader and former JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar has met Rahul Gandhi, further cementing speculation that he many join the Congress sooner than later. Kumar, who contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls on a CPI ticket, met Gandhi on Tuesday and the two are believed to have discussed the former’s entry into the Grand Old Party, reported The Indian Express.
The report also quoted sources saying that Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani too is in touch with the Congress leadership. The Congress had helped Mevani in the last Assembly elections by not fielding a candidate from the Vadgam seat in Banaskantha district of northern Gujarat.
Reacting to the development, CPI general secretary said that he has only heard speculations in this regard. “I can only say that he was present at the national executive meeting of our party earlier this month. He spoke and participated in the deliberations,” Raja said.
Kumar has been maintaining a low profile ever since he lost to Giriraj Singh from the Begusarai constituency in Bihar in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Kumar had then lost by a massive margin of more than 4.22 lakh votes.
Congress, which is facing an existential crisis in Bihar, sees Kumar’s entry as a boost in the NDA-ruled state. Also, Kumar’s entry will come amid the suffering desertion by many young leaders in the past two years, including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sushmita Dev, Jitin Prasada and Priyanka Chaturvedi.
While Kumar is considered a crowd-puller, some leaders in the Congress Kumar could be a baggage for the party given his controversial past. Even in the CPI, he had faced a censure – a mild disciplinary action – earlier this year for a ruckus at the party’s Patna office in December last year.
Besides Kumar, the talks for induction of poll strategist Prashant Kishor in the Congress are also in an advanced stage. Reports suggest that he may join as part of a special AICC panel.