CPI leaders dismayed over Kanhaiya Kumar's defection to Congress, say he lacks 'ideology'

The Communist Party of India (CPI) expressed dismay after its former party leader Kanhaiya Kumar jumped ship to join the Congress recently. According to sources, the CPI leadership has reportedly felt 'betrayed' by Kumar's move as it was not discussed formally in the three-day National Council meeting of the CPI which ended on October 4.

Sources added that CPI leaders felt betrayed as Kanhaiya Kumar was specially promoted within the party as he was inducted directly to the national executive.  Alleging 'opportunism' on Kumar's part, the CPI leaders who attended the three-day meet, remarked that his joining the Congress was 'no surprise'. CPI leader D Raja stated that Kumar has no ideological political commitment. 

"There was no discussion on Kanhaiya. Some remarks were made by party colleagues about his quitting the CPI. That's it. As I have said earlier, Kumar's move was a result of his ambition. There is no ideological political commitment.

"There is a sense of betrayal as we had given him every opportunity. He joined the national executive directly, fought Assembly elections," said CPI general secretary D Raja.

Kanhaiya Kumar joins Congress party; terms it 'sinking ship'

The former JNU students' union president and CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar joined the Congress on September 28. Apart from Kumar, 'Independent' Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani also joined the Indian National Congress. Kumar was formally inducted into the party in presence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi. However, during the press conference, Kumar referred to the Congress as a 'sinking ship' that needs to be saved. 

"If a big ship like Congress will not be saved then small boats (other opposition parties) will also sink,"said Kanhaiya Kumar  

"I am joining Congress because it's not just a party, it's an idea. It's the country's oldest and most democratic party, and I am emphasising on 'democratic'. Not just me, many think that the country can't survive without Congress," he had added 

CPI prepares for upcoming Assembly elections 

During the three-day conference, the CPI's national council discussed the electoral tactics and preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Goa. In addition, it also announced that the party will hold protest campaigns from October 4 to October 11 against the Lakhimpur violence in which eight people were killed. 

Additionally, the CPI has also planned a campaign in Defence of Constitution and for Social Justice on November 7 to mark Revolution Day. The CPI said that it was focused to intensify the campaign against the BJP-RSS combine. It also slammed the BJP for announcing National Monetisation Pipeline and raised concerns over the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) recently launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

"The idea is to hand over the huge and precious public assets to the hands of a few capitalists who are being nakedly pampered by the NDA/BJP government," a statement from the party alleged.

"The NDHM is short on details about how sensitive medical records will be secured and it doesn't inspire confidence that the very real security issues are being adequately addressed," the statement added.

It also flagged the issue of children in rural areas and the poor suffering due to the lack of tools for online education. "The CPI demands that smartphones or tablets or laptops along with WiFi facilities must be provided to students in all areas, educational institutes and community centres," the statement said. 

(With inputs from PTI)