I am not tenant but partner in Congress, says Manish Tewari

Manish Tewari. File Pic

Refuting the rumours of his possibility of resignation from the party following the recent incidents of defections, Congress MP Manish Tewari on Thursday said that he is not the "tenant but the partner" in the party suggesting that he does not intend to quit the party.

Speaking to ANI, Tewari said, "I have said this earlier also that I am not a tenant but a partner in the Congress party. If someone wants to push me out (dhakke mar kar bahar nikalega) of the party, that's a different thing. As far as I am concerned, I have given 40 years of my life to this party, if somebody wants to push me out, that's a different matter."

Asked about the leaders leaving the Congress party, the MP said that such incidents cause damage to the party. "Any leader who leaves the party causes damage and it should be thought about seriously," he said. Notably, former Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar on Tuesday resigned from Congress after a long association of 46 years with the party after which Tewari had called it "unfortunate" and said that the ambition for Rajya Sabha seat makes people do many things. Asked about his comment, the Congress leader said, "I think that every person has an ambition. And I said it in this context."

Talking about Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal promises ahead of the Assembly elections in Punjab, Tewari said that the state needs political stability at the border and hoped that Congress would be voted back to power. "Punjab needs political stability. It needs an experienced government. Punjab has special challenges being a border state. I want to appeal to the people of Punjab that there is a need to deliver a clear and decisive decision. I hope that the decision will be in Congress' favour," he said. The polling in Punjab will take place in a single phase on February 20. The votes will be counted on March 10.

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