Former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan, who reigned in 2019, protesting against the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, joined Congress.
Gopinathan, a 2012 batch IAS officer had been serving as the secretary of the power, urban development and town and country planning departments of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli when he resigned.
“Gopinathan has served as a principled administrator, an active citizen, and a committed democrat, and his joining will certainly give a boost to our movement that stands to protect the Constitution, freedom, and inclusive social fabric of India,” Congress general secretary Venugopal said in his post.
“I resigned (as an officer) in 2019. One thing was clear at that time: 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,” Gopinathan said after joining the party.
“Abrogating Article 370 might be a decision of the Government. But if you decide to shut down an entire state, jail all journalists, MPs and former CMs, shut down transportation, communication and internet, then is it right? This is a question not just for me but for all of us. Can this be right in a democratic nation? Should voices not have been raised against this? I raised that question and I stand by it even today,” he added.
Hailing from Kottayam in Kerala, Mr. Gopinathan completed his schooling from Puthuppally, and later completed electrical engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology.
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