Why Rahul Gandhi summoned Kanhaiya Kumar and what he asked

On Monday, Rahul Gandhi summoned NSUI in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar and president Vinod Jakhar to address the Congress party's recent loss in the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections. The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) is the student wing of the Congress party. Sources indicate that Gandhi was dissatisfied with the two leaders' performance after the party failed to secure any seats in the central panel for the first time in over a decade.

The meeting occurred as Gandhi's student outreach initiative, "Chhatron ki Goonj," gained popularity across various cities, while the opposition and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) prepared to challenge the Election Commission over its dispute regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Gandhi reportedly questioned Kumar and Jakhar about the factors contributing to the NSUI's defeat in the DUSU elections, including the refusal of Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen, who left the NSUI, to join the party and be considered for a ticket.

Shokeen, who has been involved in student politics since 2023, contested the position of Vice-President independently after previously failing to secure a ticket from the NSUI. Senior Congress leader Amitabh Dubey refuted claims that the NSUI had denied Shokeen a ticket, stating that he had been offered the President's ticket, which he declined. Instead, Shokeen opted to run independently for the Vice-Presidential post.