'Defeating BJP Vital': Jignesh Mevani Reveals Why He Chose to Support Congress

Mevani stresses that BJP needs to be stopped for it has gone astray from "our idea of India".

Jignesh Mevani, in an exclusive interview with The Quint, reveals his reasons for supporting the Congress party.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Video Editor: Sandeep Suman

"At this juncture of history, if all progressives feel that to defeat the BJP electorally is the most vital task, then we have to sit with the biggest platform."

While the Congress party suffers political turmoil in Punjab, it has in the meanwhile secured two high-profile connections in Jignesh Mevani, who is an Independent MLA from Gujarat's Vadgam and former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) President Kanhaiya Kumar, who was till now with the Communist Party of India (CPI).

Though Mevani could not officially join the party due to "technical reasons", in an exclusive interview with The Quint, he reveals his reasons for supporting the party.

Mevani says that the Bhatariya Janata Party (BJP) needs to be stopped for they have gone astray from "our idea of India".

He adds, "Too stop them, that platform/vehicle is needed which has supported India's freedom movement, and that the Congress party has done."

Mevani also praises Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying, “He’s extremely well-meaning and a genuine person. He will never compromise with BJP-RSS.”

Reiterating that to defeat the BJP, he and others have to support the biggest platform, Mevani adds, "We can also feel ideologically tuned with them. They believe in the Constitution, they carry the legacy of the freedom movement. Our idea of India has evolved with them."

Watch the video above for the full interview.