Will Kanhaiya Kumar’s entry to Congress herald new start for party in Bihar?

Many Congress leaders believe his joining would give another chance for the party to revive its lost glory.

Will former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar be able to transform the image of the Congress party in Bihar? Will he be able to carve a niche for himself in the highly polarised caste-based politics? Or, he will find it hard to get the opportunity to grow in the face of opposition from within the party?

Former JNUSU leader Kanhaiya, who unsuccessfully contested Begusarai Lok Sabha election as a CPI candidate and lost it to the BJP stalwart and Union minister Giriraj Singh. (File photo)

This type of debate dominated the discussion at the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) office on Sunday, a day after Independent Gujarat legislator and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani broke the news of joining the Congress along with Kanhaiya Kumar on October 28 in New Delhi.

Although the former JNUSU leader Kanhaiya, who unsuccessfully contested Begusarai Lok Sabha election as a CPI candidate and lost it to the BJP stalwart and Union minister Giriraj Singh, refused to make any categorical statement, many Congress leaders said that his joining would give another chance for the party to revive its lost glory.

Former BPCC chief Anil Sharma, who was also a former Patna University Students’ Union chief, said the party would benefit from Kanhaiya’s joining. “Kanhaiya Kumar has been into the leadership role and cornering the government on the issues of mass interest in a powerful way. His presence would be able to unite the anti-government clamours and add strength to the fight against the fear of India slipping into dictatorship mode,” added Sharma.

However, former head of the economics department at Patna University, Nawal Kishore Chaudhary says the Congress would be a major gainer on Kanhaiya’s joining. “He is one of the most articulate leaders with a clear vision. He would easily fit into the Congress’s political ideology which is left of the centre. Kanhaiya would have a bigger role to play in the state as well as national politics as the Congress has a pan-India presence,” said Chaudhary, adding that the Congress can bank on Kanhaiya as its youth face in the wake of the rise of Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Chirag Paswan in the state politics.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which has not been keen on the rise of Kanhaiya Kumar in the state politics, however, did not foresee any substantial gain in electoral politics for the Congress. “He (Kanhaiya) is not any factor in a caste-based politics. Allies of the RJD mostly depend on the charisma of Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Prasad Yadav to win the elections,” said Maner MLA and chief RJD spokesman Bhai Birendra.