- By Soumyaroop Mukherjee
- Mon, 13 Oct 2025 04:55 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan joined Congress on Monday, October 13, 2025, in the presence of party General Secretary K C Venugopal and senior party leader Pawan Khera in New Delhi. Gopinathan had gained media limelight when he resigned from his post of IAS officer in 2019 in protest against the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Gopinathan said that he chose Congress because he believed in the political will of the party in steering the country towards the right course. “Abrogating Article 370 might be a decision of the Government. But if you decide to shut down an entire state, jail all journalists, MPs and former CMs, shut down transportation, communication and internet, then is it right? This is a question not just for me but for all of us. Can this be right in a democratic nation? Should voices not have been raised against this? I raised that question and I stand by it even today,” he said.
We warmly welcome Shri Kannan Gopinathan, former IAS officer and fearless voice for democracy, to the Congress family.
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) October 13, 2025
He has served as a principled administrator, an active citizen, and a committed democrat, and his joing will certainly give a boost to our movement that stands… pic.twitter.com/caGAyab3Wj
Congress leader Venugopal hailed the former bureaucrat’s decision to join the party in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “We warmly welcome Shri Kannan Gopinathan, former IAS officer and fearless voice for democracy, to the Congress family. He has served as a principled administrator, an active citizen, and a committed democrat, and his joining will certainly give a boost to our movement that stands to protect the Constitution, freedom, and inclusive social fabric of India,” he wrote. Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani and Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar were also present at the press meet.
Who Is Kannan Gopinathan?
Kannan Gopinathan is a former IAS officer and activist from Kerala who became famous in 2019 for resigning from his IAS post in protest against the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Born in Kottayam, Kerala, Gopinathan did his early schooling in Palakkad. He later earned a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi. He joined Freescale Semiconductor as a VLSI design engineer in Noida and worked for four years before resigning to prepare for the UPSC examination.
During this period, he was actively involved in teaching kids in a slum as a volunteer with the Association for India's Development, Noida chapter. It was here that he met a fellow software engineer and his wife, Himani Pathak.
Gopinathan joined the IAS in 2012, in the AGMUT Cadre. During his tenure, he was involved in many important works, like improving state-run schools, establishing ATMs in the remote corners of Mizoram, and the initiative to revive the Chite Lui river in Mizoram.
He last served as the secretary of the power, urban development, and town and country planning departments of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli before resigning in 2019.