Kanhaiya Kumar, Jignesh Mevani to join Congress on Sept 28
Mevani, a strong critic of the ruling BJP, moved the high court in May 2021 after the account of an NGO, “We The People Charitable Trust”, through which he started a crowd funding initiative was frozen by the Charity Commissioner of the State, stating that the MLA is not its trustee.
Youth leaders Jignesh Mevani from Gujarat and Kanhaiya Kumar from Bihar are set to join the Congress party on September 28 in New Delhi in the presence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Setting to rest speculations that they may join the party, Jignesh Mevani, Independent Dalit MLA from Gujarat said, “Yes, Kanhaiya and I are joining the Congress party in Delhi on September 28.”
This follows their hectic parleys with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, a person familiar with the development said.
When asked about the reason, he said, “This will be explained in a press conference on that day.” And answering a query on if they would join in the presence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, as rumoured, Mevani said, “That would be the party’s decision.”
Jignesh Mevani was elected from a reserved Scheduled Caste seat of Vadgam in North Gujarat’s Banaskantha district in 2017 as an Independent. Held by the Congress party, the seat was vacated for him.
He recently inaugurated the state’s biggest 13,000-litre oxygen plant by any elected representative after a battle in the Gujarat High Court, where he sought a direction to the state government to let the legislators use their discretionary MLA funds to create facilities to tackle the Covid-19 crisis.
The Congress party also subsequently joined as the litigant. This had prompted the state government to take this decision for all 182 MLAs.
Mevani, a strong critic of the ruling BJP, moved the high court in May 2021 after the account of an NGO, “We The People Charitable Trust”, through which he started a crowd funding initiative was frozen by the Charity Commissioner of the State, stating that the MLA is not its trustee.
People close to Mevani claimed that for over a year he was weighing various options, including joining the Aam Aadmi Party of which he was earlier a spokesperson and also exploring some national front of like-minded youth leaders.
He was reportedly in constant touch with Kanhaiya Kumar and Patidar leader Hardik Patel, people familiar with the development confirmed.
