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'Consider me your brother': Ex-IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan joins Congress
Kannan Gopinathan thanked Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, among others, for making him “feel at home”
Former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Kannan Gopinathan, who resigned from service in 2019 as a mark of protest against the "shutdown" of Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370, joined Congress on Monday.
Gopinathan joined the party in the presence of Congress general secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, party leaders Pawan Khera and Kanhaiya Kumar.
“Joining the IAS was a means for me to serve. Leaving it was a necessity to speak. Through the Indian National Congress, I find the space to do both, to serve the people and to raise my voice against injustice," the former IAS officer wrote on X after being inducted.
He thanked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, among others, for making him “feel at home”.
"Grateful to Shri @kharge ji, Shri @RahulGandhi ji, Shri @kcvenugopalmp ji and to the Congress workers, supporters and friends who made me feel at home. This is the beginning of a humble journey. Consider me your ally, your friend, your brother,” the post further read.
What Kannan Gopinathan said about the reason for joining Congress
Kannan Gopinathan said that his decision to join the Congress came after he realised that only the grand old party could “take the country in the right direction”.
"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...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," ANI quoted Gopinathan as saying.
The former IAS officer doubled down on his opposition to the Narendra Modi government's action to "shut down" Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370.
"Abrogating Article 370 might be a decision of the Government. But if you decide to shut down an entire state, jail all journalists, MPs and former CMs, shut down transportation, communication and internet, then is it right? This is a question not just for me but for all of us. Can this be right in a democratic nation? Should voices not have been raised against this? I raised that question, and I stand by it even today," he said.
The ventral government, led by PM Modi, repealed Article 370 of the Indian Constitution in August 2019, effectively ending the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories - J&K and Ladakh.
The restoration of statehood remains a key demand from the regional political parties in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation.
