'From gutter to drain': BJP's Vijayvargiya reacts to Kanhaiya Kumar joining Congress

BJP National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya reacted to former CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar's induction into the Congress party saying that he 'sympathised' with him. In a sarcastic jibe, the BJP leader said that if someone comes out of a 'gutter', and falls into a 'drain', you can only feel sorry for them. Former JNU students' union President & CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar joined the Congress party along with Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani on Monday.

Speaking to ANI, Kailash Vijayvargiya said, "If someone comes out of the gutter and falls into the drain, then I can only sympathise with him."

It's interesting to note that after he was formally inducted into the party in the presence of party leader Rahul Gandhi at AICC headquarters in New Delhi, Kanhaiya Kumar ended up referring to Congress as a 'sinking ship'. During the press briefing, Kumar said that if a "big ship like Congress will not be saved then small boats (other opposition parties) will also sink."

Opening up on why he joined the Congress, Kanhaiya Kumar said, "It's not just a party, it's an idea. It's the country's oldest and most democratic party, and I am emphasizing on 'democratic'. Not just me many think that country can't survive without Congress."

CPI calls Kanhaiya Kumar a 'hypocrite' 

Meanwhile, CPI General Secretary D Raja has criticised Kanhaiya Kumar for his 'hypocrisy' after the latter joined Congress. D Raja alleged that the leader had jumped ships owing to 'political ambitions.' He said, "Kanhaiya Kumar has expelled himself from my party. CPI has been fighting for a caste-less, class-less society. He must be having some personal ambitions & aspirations. It shows that he has no faith in communist and working-class ideology."

A member of the National Executive Council of the CPI, Kumar had lost to BJP candidate and Union Minister Giriraj Singh in the 2019 General Election by a margin of 4,22,217 votes. On the other hand, Jignesh Mevani is currently an Independent MLA and the convener of the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch (RDAM). However, he has significant experience in campaigning for the Congress party in 2017.