Kannan Gopinathan, ex-Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, who resigned in 2019 to protest the “shutdown” in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, joined the Congress party on Monday. He was welcomed by Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal and party leader Pawan Khera.
Who is Kannan Gopinathan?
Kannan Gopinathan is a former IAS officer and activist from Kerala. He became popular in 2019 when he quit the IAS to protest the restrictions put in place in Jammu and Kashmir after Article 370 was aborted.
Born in Kottayam, Kerala, Gopinathan did his early schooling in Palakkad before returning to Kottayam. He later earned a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi. He is married to Himani Pathak, a software engineer, whom he met during his volunteer work in Noida.
Gopinathan joined the IAS in 2012 as part of the AGMUT Cadre.
Why did he choose Congress?
Gopinathan said he decided to join Congress after realising the party could make the right decisions for the country. “I resigned (as an officer) in 2019. One thing was clear at that time: the direction in which the Government wants to take the country is not right. It was clear that I had to fight against the wrong,” he told news agency ANI.
Adding to that he mentioned, “I travelled across 80-90 districts and spoke with the people; I met several leaders. Then it became clear that only the Congress party can take the country in the direction in which it should go”.
Why Kannan Gopinathan quits as IAS
Gopinathan strongly opposed the government’s decision to “shut down” Jammu and Kashmir following the removal of Article 370.
“Repealing Article 370 might have been the government’s choice. But shutting down an entire state, jailing journalists, MPs, and former CMs, and stopping transportation, communication, and internet – can this be right in a democracy? Voices should have been raised against this, and I still stand by that view,” Gopinathan said.
In August 2019, the PM Modi-led central government repealed Article 370, removing the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. The state was also divided into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Since then, regional parties in the area have demanded the restoration of statehood.