Kannan Gopinathan, right, Former Indian Administrative Service officer, joins the Indian National Congress in the presence of K.C. Venugopal, centre, and others at AICC Office, Akbar Road in New Delhi on October 13, 2025
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
Former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan on Monday (October 13, 2025) joined Congress in the presence of Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal and party leader Pawan Khera in New Delhi.
Mr. Gopinathan, who 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, resigned in 2019, protesting against the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We warmly welcome Shri Kannan Gopinathan, former IAS officer and fearless voice for democracy, to the Congress family, Mr. Venugopal posted on X, sharing the photo of the press meet in which Mr. Gopinathan was invited to the party.
Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani and Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar were also present in the press meet.
“He (Mr. 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,” Mr. Venugopal added 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,” Mr. 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. He joined joined IAS in 2012.
With inuts from ANI
Published – October 13, 2025 01:48 pm IST
