Sanjay Nirupam to quit Congress? From Haryana to Maharashtra, the misery of the Congress appears to be piling up with each passing day. A divided house, the Congress is finding it tough to contain the rift in the Haryana unit even as another rebellion brews in the ranks in Maharashtra where senior leader Sanjay Nirupam appears to have decided to jump the ship.
Nirupam, who has been upset with the party leadership since Lok Sabha elections, is miffed after the one candidate he recommended for nomination from a particular assembly constituency was denied a ticket. Nirupam, in his no holds barred tweet, said he won’t be taking part in the assembly election campaign.
“It seems Congress Party doesn’t want my services anymore. I had recommended just one name in Mumbai for Assembly election. Heard that even that has been rejected,” Nirupam said.
“As I had told the leadership earlier, in that case I will not participate in poll campaign. Its my final decision,” he added.
It seems Congress Party doesn’t want my services anymore. I had recommended just one name in Mumbai for Assembly election. Heard that even that has been rejected.
As I had told the leadership earlier,in that case I will not participate in poll campaign.
Its my final decision.— Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) October 3, 2019
Speaking to a news channel later, Sanjay Nirupam said though he was not quitting the party immediately, the day was not far when he may have to take a decision. “People sitting in Delhi who have no idea about ground realities in Mumbai or Maharashtra are taking decisions over ticket distribution,” he told News18.
Nirupam said he spoke to Mallikarjun Kharge, Jyotiraditya Scindia, KC Venugopal and Balasaheb Thorat regarding distribution of assembly election tickets. However, his inputs were paid no heed to.
On Tuesday, Nirupam had also slammed the state party unit for failing to organise ‘Gandhi Sandesh Yatra’ on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Without taking any names, Nirupam had described the present Mumbai Congress set up as incompetent. Congress had organised several events to mark Mahatma’s birth anniversary including the yatra which was attended by interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and all other top party leaders in New Delhi.
#EXCLUSIVE – @INCIndia’s @sanjaynirupam speaks to CNN-News18’s @SiddiquiMaha. | #BattleForMaharashtra #BattleOfTheStates pic.twitter.com/7Yiof2tDdp
— News18 (@CNNnews18) October 3, 2019
Incidentally, Urmila Matondkar, who quit the party last month, had blamed Sanjay Nirupam’s close aides for infighting in the party. In her scathing letter addressed to Milind Deora, the actor-turned politician, accused petty politics behind her losing the Lok Sabha election from Mumbai North seat. Nirupam had then accused Deora of leaking the letter to the media. Deora had replaced Nirupam as the Mumbai Congress president, however, he stepped down in September following the party’s humiliating show in Lok Sabha elections. The Congress failed to even a single seat out of the six in Mumbai.
Ironically, it was Sanjay Nirupam who had paved the way for Matondkar’s entry into the Congress.
