Kannan Gopinathan joins Congress after quitting IAS over Article-370 abrogation
What's the story
Former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Kannan Gopinathan has joined the Indian National Congress party. He formally joined the party in New Delhi on Monday in the presence of Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal and party leader Pawan Khera. Gopinathan had resigned from the IAS in 2019, protesting the "shutdown" of Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370, which revoked the former state's special status.
Resignation reasons
Gopinathan's resignation over Article 370
Explaining why he joined the Congress, he said, "One thing was clear at that time was that the direction in which the government wants to take the country is not right. It was clear that I had to fight against the wrong." "I travelled across 80-90 districts and spoke with the people. I met several leaders. Then it became clear that only the Congress party can take the country in the direction in which it should go."
Reason
'Shutting down a state wrong'
He also said that while abrogating Article 370 might be a decision of the government, shutting down a state and jailing elected leaders and journalists was wrong. "I raised that question and I stand by it even today," he said. He added, "I consider only those people as traitors who know the country is not moving in the right direction but remain silent for their own benefit, greed, or survival. I did not want to become that kind of traitor."
Political vision
Gopinathan believes Congress can lead India
Announcing Gopinathan's entry into the party, Venugopal called him "one of the brave bureaucrats who has always stood by downtrodden and marginalized sections of society." "It's the right time to fight against this divisive agenda. So, today, his entry into the Congress party is a welcome step, and we wholeheartedly welcome him," the party tweeted.
Career highlights
Career and key positions held
Gopinathan, a 2012-batch IAS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, has served in key positions during his career. He was the district magistrate of Aizawl in Mizoram and secretary of important departments in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. "I joined civil service with the hope that I can be the voice of those who have been silenced. But here, I lost my own voice," Gopinathan said at the time.