‘Coming with a mission’: Kanhaiya Kumar entry raises hopes in Bihar Congress

Kanhaiya Kumar’s induction in the Congress, will force other Bihar leaders to work among people on the ground or face the risk of getting marginalised, said a Congress leader

PATNA: Former president of Jawaharlal University Students’ Union (JNUSU) Kanhaiya Kumar’s induction in the Congress could improve the party’s ability to revive its roots in Bihar and beyond but its ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) may not be comfortable at the entry of the high-profile leader, Congress leaders and political analysts said.

Kanhaiya Kumar and Jignesh Mevani joined the Congress on Monday in Delhi. Kanhaiya Kumar contested the 2019 elections on a CPI ticket (HT Photo/Raj K Raj)

Kanhaiya Kumar, who unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Begusarai as the Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate, along with Gujarat’s youth Dalit icon and MLA Jignesh Mevani joined the Congress in the presence of party leader Rahul Gandhi. To be sure, Mevani said he hadn't formally joined the party due to a technical hitch - he will lose his membership to the Gujarat assembly if he does - but will contest the state elections on a Congress ticket.

The two inductions are broadly seen as part of a continuing effort by Congress to expand its diminished support base. It was in this context that the Congress last week opted for S Charanjit Singh Channi as Punjab Punjab chief minister. “Elevation of S Charanjit Singh Channi as the chief minister of Punjab would give a fresh fillip to the party in the state owing to the caste factor,” said former Patna University professor and political observer Nawal Kishore Chaudhary.

Congress MLA from Kadwa and JNU alumnus Shakeel Ahmad Khan said the Congress was certain to harness Kanhaiya Kumar’s mass appeal. “This will make other senior leaders to rejuvenate their ties with the people, or face the risk of being marginalised. Kanhiaya is coming with a mission,” said Khan after his conversation with the former JNUSU leader.

Some Congress leaders how Kanhaiya Kumar, whose arrest as a JNUSU president in a sedition case in 2016 put him at the centre of a nationwide debate on free speech, would start in his new role with some distinct advantages. Apart from his background, said a former Bihar Congress vice president, “he will enjoy the freedom to work as he would have access to party seniors such as Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi”. He hoped tht the Congress leader’s bid to connect to the masses would make others to fall in line.

Some RJD leaders insisted that they weren’t worried about the Congress’ new find. But there were others who acknowledged that if the Congress and Kanhaiya Kumar come anywhere close to expanding the party base in Bihar, it would enhance the Congress’ bargaining power in the coalition and give some competition to the opposition camp’s most prominent face, Tejashwi Yadav.

Senior RJD leader Alok Mehta, however, brushed aside such concerns. “He was part of the alliance in 2020 elections and will remain so,” Mehta said, confident that his switch from the CPI to the Congress not alter the ground realities. It will not be a challenge for the RJD’s leadership of the opposition’s grand alliance, he added.

Chaudhary contended that how things play out in the field would depend on Kanhaiya Kumar’s role and authority in the party, and if Kanhaiya is really given the chance to rebuild the party’s base in Bihar and make the best of his clean image, dynamic leadership and charismatic appeal among the youth across caste barriers.

“The Congress’s pro-poor and secular image, which suffered badly over the years due to liberalisation and its previous pursuit towards soft-hindutva, could be restored if Kanhaiya delivers,” said Chaudhary, adding that the RJD might not face any immediate challenge from Kanhaiya Kumar’s increased engagement with the Congress.

Anand Madhab, chairman of the research department of BPCC, said that Kanhaiya Kumar is a brand and a very analytical person. “He talks with facts and a very good soldier. The entire Congress is happy,” said Madhab, convinced that the party was likely to deploy the young leader in and outside Bihar.

Chief spokesman of the BPCC Rajesh Rathore said that Congress would be strengthened by his entry. “He is young and together with Tejashwi, he will strengthen the Grand Alliance,” he added.