assembly-elections

Updated: Oct 04, 2019 16:39 IST

Senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam renewed his attack on the party’s leadership on Friday, saying it is clueless about the ground realities as it prepares for the assembly election in Maharashtra.

Nirupam, who was removed as Mumbai Congress chief ahead of Lok Sabha elections, is irked because the party did not give ticket to one of his supporters. He also alleged that a group of leaders was conspiring against him.

Nirupam had announced on Twitter on Thursday evening that he would not be participating in the party’s election campaign for Maharashtra if his supporter does not get the ticket.

On Friday, he reiterated his decision to keep away from the party’s campaign.

Nirupam said the party leadership should be able to gauge leaders who can revive the party.

“The leaders sitting inside their offices cannot contribute towards the revival of the party. The party will need people who fight and take to the streets in the interest of people,” he said.

Sanjay Nirupam also said he will not quit just yet as he can tolerate the treatment meted out to him a little longer.

“I am not quitting the party right now, but I don’t think I would be in a position to continue for long in the wake of the treatment being given to me by the party,” Sanjay Nirupam said during a press conference.

“It all depends on one’s capacity to tolerate. It may differ from person to person. In my case, I think I still have the capacity to tolerate for some more time,” he said.

Also read: Why there is no end to Congress’ woes in Mumbai?

Sanjay Nirupam’s suggestion was overlooked anyway.

In the third list released by the party on Thursday night, former MLA Baldev Khosa has been fielded instead of the name suggested by Nirupam. This has triggered further discontent in Nirupam camp of party’s Mumbai unit.

Nirupam has also trained his guns at former Mumbai Congress chief Milind Deora calling him nikamma or useless in Hindi and accusing the party of not standing behind a real worker like him. He also said that the party will never benefit from leaders like Deora.

Nirupam was removed from the post of Mumbai Congress chief just a few days ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in April this year. He was replaced with Milind Deora, who quit immediately after the party’s dismal performance in the Lok Sabha.

The differences between the two former presidents had come to the fore in open after Deora’s resignation was accepted by the party two months ago.

Actor-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar quit the party last month after joining it ahead of the Lok Sabha election. She had blamed ‘petty in-house politics’ within the Mumbai unit as she left the party.

Urmila Matondkar contested from the Mumbai North seat unsuccessfully as the Congress candidate. She had blamed Nirupam camp for the mismanagement during her election.