The independent MLA recently joined the Congress along with former student leader Kanhaiya Kumar
Jignesh Mevani, an independent MLA from Vadgam constituency in Banaskantha, recently joined the Congress along with former JNU leader Kanhaiya Kumar in Delhi in the presence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. As he returned to Gujarat, he got a rousing welcome from supporters from his constituency and workers of Gujarat Congress, the Indian Youth Congress, Mahila Congress and the National Students Union of India (NSUI) at the Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan in Paldi, Ahmedabad. Party members Amit Chavda, Paresh Dhanani, Bharatsingh Solanki, Hardik Patel also greeted Mevani.
To join Congress formally, Mevani has to resign as MLA. “I have stated earlier as well that officially I have not taken Congress membership yet as I will have to resign first as MLA. I will do it in the coming months,” said Mevani, adding that he will now concentrate on recruiting more members for the party.
On BJP’s move to bring in Bhupendra Patel as a replacement for Vijay Rupani and overhauling the entire Gujarat cabinet, he said: “A new chief minister was brought just to cover up the Covid-19 mismanagement by his predecessor. Instead of bringing improvement in healthcare facilities in the state, the government brought a new face.”
Will it be easy to crack Gujarat 2022 elections for Congress? “Nothing is easy. Everything comes with a cost. I will go to every village, every taluka, every district to talk to people, understand their concerns, their struggles and address them. We will have to do everything in our capacity to reconnect with people and imbibe fresh energy in them.”
“Also, we will have to do it not just for the elections but to save the nation. If BJP wins the next elections in Gujarat, India will go to dogs. Certain causes are bigger than elections and this is one of them. We need to save our country. We can remove this government that believes in the Manusmriti and not in the Constitution. Democracy, the Constitution and the idea of India are in danger. Desh nahi bachega, democracy nahi bachegi.” he stressed.
When asked what difference he would bring to the lives of sanitation workers if chosen to power, Mevani said, “Within the framework of the party, there is a huge scope to work for the marginalised communities and be vocal about their issues… I will continue to do so. We are exploring technology to get rid of manual scavenging by replacing humans with machines.”
“The party has internal democracy and therefore the members can raise their voice against the party itself. There are questions and concerns in the party but we will address them internally and solve them. There is a difference of opinion amongst members but no one resigns. Does BJP have such a democracy? No. Even when the whole panel of senior cabinets was replaced with a fresh one, not even a single member dared to speak against this move. They were scared of Income Tax raids, they want to avoid the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) knocking on their doors.”
Mevani also condemned the violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri in which eight people, including four farmers, died after two SUVs allegedly ran over protesters. “Our Prime Minister didn’t even say a word on this and that’s shameful. Their behaviour towards Priyanka ji, Rajul ji and other members is also unacceptable. Young members of the party – Kanhaiya, Hardik and I – will take on this issue soon.”
“I’m an Indian, in fact, a global citizen and this is my identity. Not just Dalit, OBC, or ST anyone who becomes a victim of injustice will have my support. In BJP’s times, anyone can become a victim of injustice.” he added.
In Gandhinagar Municipal Elections (GMC), BJP registered a massive victory by winning 41 out of the 44 seats, while Congress performed poorly. On this Mewani said, “I’m supporting the party which led the Indian Freedom movement. Getting fewer seats in GMC doesn’t scare us. We are here for a bigger game. This is the party that brought in the values of unity in diversity, secularism, equality and socialism. I will fight in the Gujarat 2022 elections through the Congress party and that’s for sure. I’m an optimistic person. I’m sure we will come into power without compromising on our ideology. Democracy is our priority.”
