Former Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Kanhaiya Kumar and Gujarat Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani on Tuesday joined the Congress in the presence of former party chief Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi. The two were inducted into the party in a ceremony at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters. 

The leaders met amid fanfare at the Shaheen-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Park in the national capital’s ITO area earlier today . Watch Congress workers celebrating as Kumar, Mevani and Gandhi met in Delhi:

Addressing a press conference, Kanhaiya Kumar said, “I am joining the 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, but many think the country can’t survive without Congress.”

“Congress party is like a big ship. If it’s saved, I believe many people’s aspirations, Mahatma Gandhi’s oneness, Bhagat Singh’s courage, and BR Ambedkar’s idea of equality will be protected, too. This is why I have joined it,” Kanhaiya added.

Meanwhile, Jignesh Mevani said, “I could not join the Congress formally due to technical reasons. I am an independent MLA, if I join a party, I may not continue as an MLA…I am part of the Congress ideologically but I will fight the upcoming Gujarat polls from Congress symbol.”

Kanhaiya Kumar, the former students’ union president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, had joined CPI ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election and had unsuccessfully contested from Begusarai in Bihar against Giriraj Singh of the BJP.

Mevani, who is currently a legislator in Gujarat and represents the Vadgam constituency, is the convener of the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch (RDAM).

Also Read | Not a stable man: Amarinder Singh on Navjot Sidhu after he resigns as Punjab Congress chief

He is a lawyer-activist and a former journalist. Mevani’s entry into the Congress comes ahead of next year’s assembly elections at a time when the party is wooing the scheduled castes community after making one amongst them the chief minister of Punjab.

Charanjit Singh Channi succeeded Amarinder Singh as chief minister of Punjab. The move is being considered as a bold one as it tries to woo back the scheduled castes, traditionally considered the vote bank of the Congress, according to PTI.

Mevani showed his support for Channi’s appointment as CM in a tweet earlier, saying, “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,” he added. 

Meanwhile, posters welcoming the two leaders to the Congress were put up around the party offices in New Delhi earlier today.