Kanhaiya Kumar To Overshadow Rahul Gandhi?

The moribund opposition desperately needs an icon and Kanhaiya Kumar mouthing old radical slogans comes handy.

- Kumar Anshuman

On 3 March, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president, 28-year-old Kanhaiya Kumar, walked out of Tihar jail after the Delhi High Court granted him conditional bail for six months. He was taken straight to the university, where, in a few hours, he emerged at the administrative block. At about 11 pm, a smiling Kanhaiya was greeted with loud cheers. He grabbed two mikes and did not stop for the next 66 minutes. His speech captivated a section of the political class, especially the opposition. To some, it even sounded like the bugle announcing the end of the Narendra Modi Government’s popularity. Kanhaiya became a handy argument against the Government. Some even hailed him as a possible challenger to Modi.

Noted writer and niece of Jawahar Lal Nehru, Nayantara Sahgal said, “Kanhaiya Kumar has electrified India with not only his speech in which much passion prevailed, but also in the interviews that he has given to the media where much rationality, much common sense, much quiet measured talk and a command of facts prevailed.” In her words, “We owe him a huge debt of gratitude for taking us out of that molasses of depression which many of us had fallen into for a while. Mr Modi has met his match in Kanhaiya Kumar.”