Sanjay Nirupam: Resignation cannot come with conditions

Milind Deora quits as party's Mumbai chief, crowding Congress corridor of exits on action-packed Sunday

It is Congress in stress, duress and mess, as Mumbai Congress Chief Milind Deora resigned from his post on a frenetic Sunday for the party. Deora's resignation comes sandwiched between two big resignation announcements. The first is of party President Rahul Gandhi who quit taking responsibility for the poll debacle. Hours after Deora's resignation came the other big announcement that Congress General Secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia has also taken the exit route crowded with Congressmen.

Deora said, "Although I was made Mumbai Congress president one month before the elections, I had very little time to repair the damage done to the party because it moved away from the multi-lingual and multi-cultural ideals. After meeting Rahul Gandhi on June 26, I felt in a spirit of collective responsibility, I too should resign, and offered my resignation on June 28. I will continue to serve the party in any way I can. I can only hope that the incoming president of the Congress continues to follow the multi-lingual and multi-cultural ideals that the party is known for and does not go back to the earlier days of identity politics." By that Deora meant that certain groups in Congress were promoting their own interests rather than those of the party.

Also Read: Milind Deora resigns as Mumbai Congress president

Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam slammed Deora's resignation saying, "When you resign, you take moral responsibility for something. Your resignation cannot come with a condition, like Milind Deora's has. This means you will decide when to become Mumbai party president, you will decide when you want to work at the national level, that is not a resignation."

Mathew Antony, Mumbai-based State Secretary Maharashtra and National Political Action Group Member, All India Professionals Congress (AIPC), acceded it was a day of action and reaction for the Congress party. He added, "The party is facing a challenge and Rahul Gandhi's decision to take the onus of the failure is a bold one. Earlier, it was seen that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) used to protect the Congress president from blame for any failure. This time, that has changed and is a deviation from the CWC's save the president culture of earlier. Having said that, it is time for the CWC to use the time and opportunity for deep constructive reflection on what the country needs."

Also Read: Sanjay Nirupam takes dig at Milind Deora, asks "Is this resignation or ladder to climb up?"

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