Kanhaiya Kumar, Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani set to join Congress next week
Ahmedabad, Sep 25: Jignesh Mevani, an independent Gujarat MLA and influential Dalit leader, announced on Saturday that he would join Congress on September 28 along with former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar.
The development comes ahead of the next year's Assembly elections in the BJP-ruled Gujarat. Mevani had won election from the Vadgam Assembly constituency in Banaskantha district in 2017 with the backing of Congress. "On September 28, I will be joining the Indian National Congress along with Kanhaiya Kumar," he told PTI, adding that he will be able to talk in detail about the decision only after that.
Working president of Gujarat Congress Hardik Patel will also attend the function in Delhi where he will be inducted in the party in the presence of Rahul Gandhi, Mevani said.
"We welcome all the revolutionary youths who are willing to work for the development of the country and strengthen the Congress party and the ideals of (Mahatma) Gandhi, Sardar (Patel) and (Jawaharlal) Nehru," Hardik Patel said in a statement.
He described Mevani as "an old friend" and said his entry will help the party both in the state and at the national level.
Chief spokesperson of Gujarat Congress Manish Doshi said Mevani became an MLA with the support of Congress workers in the 2017 elections, and his entry "will strengthen the party's fight against the corrupt policies of the BJP".
"Congress party welcomes everyone who fights against the corrupt policies of the BJP. The party policy is to ensure justice to everyone in Gujarat and fight against every such policy of the BJP which is anti-people, anti-youth, anti-farmer, anti-poor," Doshi said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th Saudi Pro League goal
Riyadh (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th Saudi Pro League goal as Al-Nassr beat Al-Shabab 4-2 to move five points clear at the top of the table.
The 41-year-old forward converted a Sadio Mané cross at the near post with 15 minutes remaining to record the 971st goal of his career on Thursday. It was also his 26th league goal of the season.
“Ronaldo is always dangerous going forward and we saw that again today,” Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said.
João Félix, signed from Chelsea in July, scored three goals for the league leaders.
The win took Al-Nassr to 82 points from 32 games, five ahead of Al-Hilal, which has three matches, one more than Nassr, left to play. Al-Hilal meets Al-Kholood on Friday and faces Nassr on Tuesday in what could be a title decider against its Riyadh rival.
“Now we have a derby match against our rival, which is a difficult encounter,” Jesus said.
“We are fully aware of its importance, and we are dealing with it with complete focus as we know that small details could decide the result.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, has yet to secure a major trophy in Saudi Arabia since signing with Al-Nassr in December 2022.
