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

The NSUI, established on April 9, 1971, is the Congress' student wing. The organisation was founded by Indira Gandhi after merging the Kerala Students Union and the West Bengal State Chhatra Parishad to form a national students' organisation, and is headed by Neeraj Kunadan.

The Indian National Congress (INC) on Thursday (July 6) named Kanhaiya Kumar as in-charge of National Students Union of India (NSUI), turning to a leader known for his fiery speeches and who hails from the Hindi heartland to head its student wing ahead of the general elections that is scheduled to be held next year.

A letter signed by Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal read, "Honourable Congress President (Mallikarjun Kharge) 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' student wing. The organisation was founded by Indira Gandhi after merging the Kerala Students Union and the West Bengal State Chhatra Parishad to form a national students' organisation, and is headed by Neeraj Kunadan.

Earlier, Kanhaiya Kumar had participated in the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra and walked the entire distance from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. In 2021, Kanhaiya Kumar, former JNU Student Union President joined the Congress from the Communist Party of India.

After joining the party he said, "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, and I am emphasising on 'democratic'."