Communist Party of India (CPI) leader and former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar, along with Gujarat Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, is likely to join the Congress on September 28 in New Delhi, reported the Hindustan Times.
Kumar, meanwhile, has not publicly denied or reacted to the speculations so far.
According to the HT report, CPI general secretary D Raja earlier asked Kumar to address a press conference on September 21 to “refute” the speculations of him joining the Congress. However, Kumar did not show up at the conference, a senior leader told the publication.
Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.
Kumar joined the Communist Party of India (CPI) ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election and had unsuccessfully contested from Begusarai in Bihar against Giriraj Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Last week, Mevani -- Gujarat MLA and Dalit leader – had told a section of the media that he and Kumar will join the Congress on September 28. “On September 28, I will be joining the Indian National Congress along with Kanhaiya Kumar,” Mevani was quoted as saying.
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Mevani, who is currently a legislator in Gujarat and represents the Vadgam constituency, is the convener of the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch (RDAM). He is a lawyer-activist and a former journalist. Mevani's entry into the Congress comes at a time when it is wooing the scheduled castes community after making one amongst them the chief minister of Punjab.
Asked about the speculations of Kumar joining the grand old party, D Raja said, “Let us see.”
As per the report, Kumar is not happy with his role in CPI as he wanted to play a larger role.
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On September 26, a group of CPI leaders in Bihar met Kumar to persuade him to stay in the party.
“During the discussion, Kumar told them that he should be made the state party chief and the chairman of the party’s top election committee that decides candidates for elections,” another CPI leader told the publication.
Amid the speculations, all eyes are now on the party’s national council meeting on October 2, in which Kumar’s issues are likely to be discussed among other things, the report suggested.
