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Speculation over Kanhaiya Kumar’s entry into Cong grows; CPI's D Raja meets him
Kumar, arguably the most popular CPI leader among the young people, has remained silent about the rumours on public platforms.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja met party leader Kanhaiya Kumar in Delhi on Thursday amid intense speculations that the former JNU students’ union president is in talks with Congress leaders to join the party.
“I did ask him about the speculations. And after our conversation, I want to condemn these ongoing speculations. He is the youngest member of our national executive and as an asset for the party,” Raja told HT.
But a section of the party is sceptical, as Kumar, arguably the most popular CPI leader among the young people, has remained silent about the rumours on public platforms. Kumar recently met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi—a step widely seen as a precursor to his joining of the Congress.
Raja, however, defended Kumar and said, “he is a member of our national executive (equivalent to CPIM politburo). He is free to meet any political leader. Would you speculate if he meets Sitaram Yechury? Earlier, he has met other political leaders too.”
Raja and Kumar met at the Ajoy Bhawan, the CPI headquarters in New Delhi.
Kumar had fought the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 on a CPI ticket from Begusarai but lost to BJP stalwart Giriraj Singh. Kumar’s popularity soared during his tenure as the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s students’ union, even as he courted major controversies.
CPI leaders claimed that Kumar has refuted the speculations in his personal meetings with CPI leaders. He has been appointed as the central executive of the party and is currently its youngest member of the top executive body.
But, some Congress leaders are hopeful that Kumar will join the party at some point. The Congress also requires a young, dynamic leader in Bihar, where its political fortunes have plummeted over the years.
Meanwhile, CPI MP Binoy Viswam claimed that the news on Kanhaiya Kumar is nothing but fake. “He just called me from Ajoy Bhavan. He is the NEC member of the party, deeply committed to the communist cause,” he added.
