Overview

• Gopinathan formally took Congress membership on October 13 at the AICC headquarters in the presence of K. C. Venugopal and Pawan Khera.
• The former IAS officer reiterated that he resigned in 2019 over the post-Article 370 restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir, calling the shutdown and arrests incompatible with a democracy.
• Venugopal welcomed him as a "fearless voice for democracy" and asserted that Gopinathan’s 2019 resignation from service has not yet been accepted by the government.
• A 2012 AGMUT-cadre officer known for work in Mizoram and Kerala flood relief, he later became a prominent critic of policies such as the CAA and faced FIRs and disciplinary action after declining a 2020 order to rejoin duty.
• Before the announcement he met Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, with leaders including Kanhaiya Kumar and Jignesh Mevani present, and coverage linked the timing to the approaching Kerala assembly polls.