Congress appoints Kanhaiya Kumar as in-charge of party's student wing NSUI

In a significant move, the Congress party has appointed Kanhaiya Kumar as the in-charge of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), its student wing.

The decision was made by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and is set to be effective immediately.

A letter signed by Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal stated, "Honourable Congress President has appointed Shri Kanhaiya Kumar as AICC in-charge of National Students Union of India (NSUI), with immediate effect."

The NSUI, established on April 9, 1971, is the Congress party's student organization. It was formed by merging the Kerala Students Union and the West Bengal State Chhatra Parishad under the guidance of Indira Gandhi. Neeraj Kunadan currently heads the NSUI.

Kanhaiya Kumar, born in 1987, began his involvement in student politics in 2007 while studying at Patna College of Commerce. He gained prominence in September 2015 when he served as the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) and the leader of the All India Students Federation (AISF).

In 2021, Kumar joined the Congress party after leaving the Communist Party of India (CPI). He cited Congress as an idea and emphasized its democratic values, stating, "I am joining Congress because it's not just a party, it's an idea. It's the country's oldest and most democratic party."

Known for his sharp critique of the Narendra Modi-led government, Kumar has frequently shared the stage with other young leaders such as Jignesh Mevani and Hardik Patel at political rallies.However, Kumar faced controversy in 2016 when he was arrested by the Delhi Police on charges of sedition related to an event at the JNU campus.