Former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan joins Congress

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Oct 14, 2025: Former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan who quit the service in 2019 over the question of violation of fundamental rights of people of Jammu and Kashmir, and campaigned against the Citizenship Amendment Act, joined the Congress on Monday, crediting Congress as the only political force that would take the country in the right direction.

Mr. Gopinathan joined the party in the presence of Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, AICC media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, and party leaders Kanhaiya Kumar, Jignesh Mewani and IAS officer-turned-politician Sasikanth Senthil.

“One of the brave bureaucrats who has a passion towards the downtrodden and marginalised people of the country and who has always fought for justice and unity: this is what defines Gopinathan ji. He was born in Kerala and has worked in the Northeast and other parts of the country,” Mr. Venugopal said.

Mr. Gopinathan’s joining the Congress party is a clear message that it’s the only party fighting for justice with an ideology, he said.

“He resigned in 2019, but his resignation has still not been accepted. Bureaucrats who fight for justice and the marginalised are being penalised by the government -- this phenomenon is evident in both Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. Even the Chief Justice of India is not immune to these attacks,” Mr. Venugopal said at the press conference.

Mr. Gopinathan said he resigned from his job in 2019, and at that time, he knew that the direction in which the government was taking the country was wrong. “I also knew that I had to fight against this wrong. After this decision, I travelled to 80-90 districts of the country, talked to people, and met with numerous leaders. I realised that only the Congress party can take this country in the right direction,” he said.