Are Kanhaiya Kumar And Jignesh Mevani Big Catch Fir Truncated Congress?

Amid the reports of fiery student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and Gujarat Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani all set to join the Congress today, former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro has left the Congress, breaking 40 years of his association with the party. He candidly told Sonia Gandhi in his resignation letter that he saw "absolutely no hope or will to prevent the collapse of the party". He also said the Congress "is not the same party for which we had sacrificed and fought".

Congress may take a little solace over welcoming switch of Kanhaiya Kumar and Jignesh Mevani to the party but its gain is more than offset by the exit of an old guard leaving the party on the eve of asembly elections. Goa is due to vote next year, along with Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and other states. Earlier, Jyotiraditya Scindia, a leading figure of Madhya Pradesh and Jitin Prasad, the a Brahmin face of the Congress had left the party.

Kanhaiya Kumar joined the CPI or Communist Party of India just before the 2019 general election and contested from his hometown Begusarai in Bihar against Giriraj Singh of the BJP. But he was defeated with handsome margin. So the question is: are Kanhaiya Kumar and Gujarat Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani a big catch for truncated Congress?

A former president of the JNU students' union, Kanhaiya Kumar was jailed over "anti-national slogans" raised at an event in 2016 to mark the death anniversary of Parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru.

Jignesh Mevani, a legislator who represents the Vadgam constituency in Gujarat, is key to the Congress's poll arithmetic ahead of elections. Mevani, a lawyer and former journalist. Mevani rose to national prominence during the protests following the Una flogging incident.On 11 July 2016, seven Dalit youths were tortured in the town of Una, Gujarat on the pretext of cow protection and in the presence of the police.

The assailants had filmed the incident and it was widely shared over social media. The incident culminated into a mass movement and large scale militancy among Dalits in the state.In midst of the protests, around 30 Dalit rights organisations had combined to form the Una Dalit Atyachar Ladat Samiti. The committee announced that a mass demonstration and assembly against caste based atrocities and discrimination in Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat on 30 July 2016. Mevani was one of the key organizers of the event, and was appointed as the convener of the committee.

Later, a Dalit was fatally assaulted in Anand for daring to watch Garba — the popular dance during Navratri — organised by Patidars. It may be noted that Dalits aren’t allowed to enter temples in most of the Gujarat villages and their children are served government-sponsored lunch separately in many schools. Dalits are still treated as untouchable, but their vote was never untouchable.

As such Mevani is seen a Dalit face in Gujarat at a time when the Congress is reaching out to the scheduled castes community, its traditional support base. The party has recently chosen a Dalit Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in Punjab to replace Capt. Amarinder Singh. The influence of Dalits in Gujarat waned after the Congress rule ended in 1990.

Soon after this, Mevani also tweeted his support: "The decision of appointing Charanjit singh ji as the CM of Punjab is a message that Rahul Gandhi and Congress have given. It will have tremendous impact amongst not just dalits but all the subaltern masses. For Dalits, the move is not just brilliant but soothing too."

Assembly election in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh are due in December 2022.

Congress has high stakes in assembly elections of more than seven important states to be held in next year 2022. Of all the states where assembly elections are to be held in 2022, Congress is in power only in Punjab. As such, party is sharpening its arsenal to face the stiff challenge from saffron party. BJP is in power in all the six states. In Punjab saffron party has been reduced to rubble in the agriculture dominated state amid farmers long protest against three farm bills.

Gujarat is more crucial to Congress where it is out of power since 1990. The BJP won the Gujarat assembly polls in 2017 for the sixth straight time. Though the Congress won 77, up by 16 seats of last election, it fell short of clear majority. Party is hopeful of doing better in next elections. So Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, is seen a big catch. However Dalits just constitute 6.74% of the state’s 60 million-plus population. So saffron party cares two hoots for them.

Will it help the party to get the clear majority it was denied in 2017 elections, only time can answer this question.

(Chander Sharma)