Zeeshan Siddiqui picked as Mumbai Youth Congress president

Zeeshan Siddique refused to vacate his claim, protesting the delay in his appointment. File pic/Rane Ashish (right) Suraj had staked his claim to the president’s post, saying Zeeshan was already an MLA and hence he should be given the post

The friction over the leadership of the Mumbai Regional Youth Congress has intensified further, with Suraj Singh Thakur resigning from the post of working president, in protest of party MLA Zeeshan Siddique's appointment as its president.

Zeeshan and Suraj were assigned the jobs through a common letter on August 15, several months after they had finished as the first and second, respectively, in registering youth as members online. The process had also asked for preferences for the various posts in the Mumbai unit last November.

Suraj had staked his claim to the president's post, saying Zeeshan was already an MLA and hence he should be given the post. Zeeshan refused to vacate his claim, protesting the delay in his appointment, and in a letter to the party high command in June this year, alleged interference in his constituency by the chief of Mumbai Congress, Bhai Jagtap.

Thakur writes to Rahul

Suraj submitted his papers to party senior Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, clarifying his stand. He said he was disappointed because of the recent decision and he won't be comfortable working with an inexperienced person. "My hard work and dedication have been sidelined. My resignation is just because of my self-respect. Coming from a middle-class family, growing up in the slums of Mumbai, I joined the Congress party during my college days as a member of NSUI in 2007, working hard and dedicated for several years," he said in the letter.

Suraj refused to comment on the issue, but people close to him said he has been protesting against the family politics of Zeeshan, who is the son of Baba Siddique, a former minister. "Why do only the sons of leaders get promoted in the party? What about common people like us who have fought in the streets and have police cases registered against us? We expect Rahul Gandhi to address our grievance," said a youth Congress leader, who is close to Suraj.

Zeeshan meets Cong members

Bandra East MLA, Zeeshan, shared the appointment letter with the media on Wednesday, saying, "After being announced as president of Mumbai Youth Congress I will be meeting all the youth Congress post holders, party workers and everyone at the MRCC office (Azad Maidan) today from 1 pm onwards." He wasn't available for comment.