<p>New Delhi: Former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan, who resigned from the IAS in 2019 protesting against "curtailing free speech" in Jammu and Kashmir following abrogation of Article 370, joined the Congress on Monday, with the party saying his induction gives a “clear-cut message that it is the only party that is fighting for people’s justice".</p><p>Gopinathan said those who question the government now are branded “anti-nationals” and “traitors”, forgetting that subjects have become citizens with the right to question their rulers.</p><p>He said only Congress can take the country in the right direction.</p>.<p>He posted on X and said, “Joining the IAS was a means for me to serve. Leaving it was a necessity to speak. Through the Congress, I find the space to do both, to serve the people and to raise my voice against injustice.”</p>.'BJP suffers from an allergy to the name Nehru': Congress after name of former PM dropped form Metro station.<p>Formally inducting the former bureaucrat into the party, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal told a press conference that it was “one of the happiest moments” that a “brave” officer, "who has passion to work for the downtrodden and marginalised", joined the party.</p><p>“The joining of a pan-India figure like Kannan Gopinathan is giving a clear-cut message that Congress is the only party, which is fighting for justice…I think this is the time to rise to fight against this divisive agenda,” he said.</p><p>Post his civil service days, Gopinathan donned the role of an activist and had been vocal against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act as well as on the issue of electoral reforms.</p><p>Gopinathan said he knew that the direction in which the government was taking the country was wrong when he resigned. </p><p>“I also knew that I had to fight against this wrong…Since 2014, I have observed one major change -- Accept quietly whatever we give you. If you criticise the government, we will say you are criticising the country. If you question the government, we will call you anti-national. I absolutely disagree with that notion,” he said.</p><p>“Those who believe the government is doing the right thing have every right to support it fully, they can be patriots. But those who believe the government is taking the wrong path, harming the country’s interests, and still raise questions, often at great personal cost, they too are patriots,” he said.</p><p>He said he considers only one category of people as betrayers of the nation and they are those who know that the country is not moving in the right direction, but for personal gain, greed, or mere survival, choose to stay silent. </p><p>“I did not want to become that kind of person. I believe we must continue to speak up, to ask questions, to remain citizens -- not return to being subjects,” he said. </p>
<p>New Delhi: Former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan, who resigned from the IAS in 2019 protesting against "curtailing free speech" in Jammu and Kashmir following abrogation of Article 370, joined the Congress on Monday, with the party saying his induction gives a “clear-cut message that it is the only party that is fighting for people’s justice".</p><p>Gopinathan said those who question the government now are branded “anti-nationals” and “traitors”, forgetting that subjects have become citizens with the right to question their rulers.</p><p>He said only Congress can take the country in the right direction.</p>.<p>He posted on X and said, “Joining the IAS was a means for me to serve. Leaving it was a necessity to speak. Through the Congress, I find the space to do both, to serve the people and to raise my voice against injustice.”</p>.'BJP suffers from an allergy to the name Nehru': Congress after name of former PM dropped form Metro station.<p>Formally inducting the former bureaucrat into the party, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal told a press conference that it was “one of the happiest moments” that a “brave” officer, "who has passion to work for the downtrodden and marginalised", joined the party.</p><p>“The joining of a pan-India figure like Kannan Gopinathan is giving a clear-cut message that Congress is the only party, which is fighting for justice…I think this is the time to rise to fight against this divisive agenda,” he said.</p><p>Post his civil service days, Gopinathan donned the role of an activist and had been vocal against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act as well as on the issue of electoral reforms.</p><p>Gopinathan said he knew that the direction in which the government was taking the country was wrong when he resigned. </p><p>“I also knew that I had to fight against this wrong…Since 2014, I have observed one major change -- Accept quietly whatever we give you. If you criticise the government, we will say you are criticising the country. If you question the government, we will call you anti-national. I absolutely disagree with that notion,” he said.</p><p>“Those who believe the government is doing the right thing have every right to support it fully, they can be patriots. But those who believe the government is taking the wrong path, harming the country’s interests, and still raise questions, often at great personal cost, they too are patriots,” he said.</p><p>He said he considers only one category of people as betrayers of the nation and they are those who know that the country is not moving in the right direction, but for personal gain, greed, or mere survival, choose to stay silent. </p><p>“I did not want to become that kind of person. I believe we must continue to speak up, to ask questions, to remain citizens -- not return to being subjects,” he said. </p>
