After withdrawing from LS poll race, Congress national spokesperson Gupta now quits party

Rohan Gupta. Pic/X

In another setback to the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, its national spokesperson Rohan Gupta on Friday resigned from primary membership and all other posts from the party citing 'humiliation' and 'character assassination'.

Gupta, was been given a Lok Sabha ticket from the Ahmedabad East seat by the Congress, but he withdrew himself from the race last week, citing his father's ill health.

Gupta on his X post said, "I took most difficult decision of my life of withdrawing my candidature. Now I am taking another most difficult decision of leaving the party after serving it for last 15 years because of constant humiliation and character assassination by the leader connected with Communication department."

He also posted his resignation letter on the social media. Gupta said he chose to quit the party with a broken heart, calling the decision 'very difficult but necessary to protect' his self-respect.

In a letter to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Gupta said, 'I hereby, resign from all posts and primary membership of the Congress party with immediate effect.'. 'I am deeply pained to inform you that constant humiliation and character assassination by one of the senior leaders connected to the Communications department of the party for last two years (which many senior party leaders are aware of) and now at the time of personal crisis has compelled me to take this decision,' he said in the letter.

"His behaviour has caused serious mental agony and stress and has compelled me to resign from the party with a broken heart to protect my self-esteem," Gupta added.

Gupta said that he decided to withdraw his candidature from the Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha seat due to his father Rajkumar Gupta's reluctance to let him contest from the constituency that he represented as the candidate of the same party two decades back. Gupta, however, did not disclose what exactly made his father oppose his candidature.

Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on May 7. In the 2019 elections, the BJP won all 26 seats in the state.

(With PTI inputs)