The RJD has cautioned Congress’ central leadership that picking Kanhaiya Kumar to revive a moribund Bihar Congress will be a disaster. Since Kanhaiya Kumar is the pick of Rahul Gandhi, hence leaders of the Bihar Congress are tight-lipped. But many in the party believe that CPI student leader Kanhaiya Kumar joined the Congress to secure his future in electoral politics in the 2024 parliamentary election.
But the RJD, which is the senior alliance partner of the Congress in Bihar, has cautioned that Congress leadership has imported another Navjot Singh Sidhu who will demolish the party.
The Congress friendly media created hype over the joining of Kanhaiya Kumar as the masterstroke of Rahul Gandhi. Some even commented that the rise of Kanhaiya Kumar in Bihar politics is a threat for Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, son of Lalu Prasad.
However, this is too early to conclude but the bubble of Kanhaiya Kumar was burst first by RJD’s Maner MLA Bhai Virendra when he asked ‘who is Kanhaiya Kumar.’
Now, senior RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari has said that he sympathizes with the Congress if the leadership believes that Kanhaiya Kumar has the potential. Shivanand Tiwari said that there was a time when the CPI too had a similar illusion about the potential of Kanhaiya Kumar.
“If the Congress leadership feels that Kanhaiya Kumar can sail the sinking boat of the Congress then he should be appointed as president as the post has been vacant from the past two years,” Shivanand Tiwari.
Shivanand Tiwari wondered if Kanhaiya Kumar was inducted into the Congress party just because he is a good speaker as the Bihar Congress lacks a leader with such a good oratory skill. “So Kanhaiya Kumar is such a good orator that he termed the Congress as a sinking vote,” he said.
Shivanand Tiwari further said that the political worth of Kanhaiya Kumar was tested during the 2019 parliamentary election. Kanhaiya Kumar had contested Begusarai parliamentary seat as the CPI candidate. While he emerged in the third position, Shivanand Tiwari alleged that he was instrumental in the defeat of the RJD in Begusarai.
Rahul Gandhi seemed to be in a hurry for a grand induction of Kanhaiya Kumar in the party, apparently to counter the narratives that leaders are leaving the party. The central leadership wants to create a perception that those who left the Congress were useless and those who are joining are young and dedicated.
After former chief minister Jagannath Mishra the Congress in the last three decades has not invested in any leader to ensure pan-Bihar acceptability. And if Kanhaiya Kumar is the new investment venture, many in Congress fear that it will be a success.
Kanhaiya Kumar, who was even rejected in his village during the parliamentary election, has no personal vote bank. He even can’t inspire voters of his caste (Bhumihar) to flock behind him. He may be best at rhetoric but will be equally bad when the question of the revival of the Congress is taken up. Highly ambitious Kanhaiya Kumar knows that CPI can’t give wings to his electoral dream hence he landed in the Congress.
“This is an internal matter of the Congress. But we would ask the Congress to be careful about its choice,” said Mritunjay Tiwari, another senior RJD leader.
