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'Rahul Gandhi is showing an 'I-don't-care-attitude'.'
'He is showing the same attitude towards what is happening in Maharashtra or in various parts of the country.'
In a two-part interview, former Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com why he quit the Congress, how five power centres within the Congress are ruining the party, the reasons why the Congress has been in a tailspin since the party's 2014 defeat.
Nirupam has been expelled from the Congress for six years as disciplinary action for speaking against the Congress's Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance partner Uddhav Thackeray.
How does it feel to end your long, long, career with the Congress? What are your feelings today?
20 years. 20 years. Approximately 20 years; I joined the Congress party in 2005. I'm feeling very relieved today because the way the Congress party is working, and the way how five power centres within the Congress are destroying it internally, it was very frustrating for me to continue as a Congressman.
This is not just my experience. This is the experience of a lot of people in Congress party. I'm receiving lots of calls from Delhi leaders who are still the part of the Congress; they are telling me that I have actually expressed their voice.
They are telling me, 'Though you have sacrificed yourself, you are martyred, you have expressed yourself and you have helped us because the Congress is functioning in a very dangerous manner today and it is clearly very frustrating and disappointing to remain a part of the Congress.'
They fear that if the Congress fails to emerge victorious in the 2024 general election, then it might implode.
Lots of people are disappointed with the functioning of the party, but I'm very happy and relieved to have quit the party.
When did you first realise that the Congress was ignoring your leadership value? What were the first signs that made you feel that you were no longer wanted in the Congress?
In 2019, the way I was removed from the post of MRCC (Mumbai Regional Congress Committee) president in the name of giving me an opportunity to contest from the Mumbai North West seat; it (removing me as MRCC chief) was basically a wrong decision.
When I was communicated this decision I told them it's was a bad decision to take on the eve of an (2019 general) election and it would send a wrong message to the people of Mumbai.
I told them I'll voluntarily resign after the election. And after the election, if I win, I'll go to Parliament and I'll resign. If I lose, I will resign by accepting my failure.
The way this issue was handled led to an absolute disaster (the Congress lost all the Mumbai Lok Sabha it contested in 2019).
They appointed somebody else (Milind Deora who contested and lost the Mumbai South Lok Sabha seat to the Shiv Sena's Arvvind Sawant; Deora recently joined Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena) in my place and whoever that somebody was also resigned from his post four months later.
Since then the Mumbai Congress has collapsed and it's collapsing every day.
The way I was removed as the MRCC president post on the eve of the elections was a completely wrong move on the part of the Congress leadership. I objected to that.
They were so full of ego that they didn't realise that nobody is removed from his post when the elections are around the corner.
Secondly, after that, one more dispute erupted with regard to one assembly segment that is part of the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency. I told them I wanted to recommend my nominee on one seat (for the 2019 assembly election).
Though I had lost the election -- everybody had lost the election -- I still had huge influence in that constituency and so I asked them for an opportunity to allow me to nominate one person from that one seat. Even that was rejected.
I finally realised that they did not value or respect me as a leader. Every blame for party's poor performance was pinned on me and everything was shut (for me) in the Congress party.
After that the COVID pandemic came and everything went completely out of hand. For almost two-and-a-half years, the Congress party was a headless chicken. There was no (Mumbai) president of the party.
After I met Rahul Gandhi I was asked to come to Delhi to join the AICC (All India Congress Committee, the apex decision-making unit of the Congress). I warmly accepted that despite insults. But that too never materialised. Since then, I was given no dhang ka (respectable) position.
Recently, four or five months ago when the AICC was being reorganised, I got a call from Mr K C Venugopalji (AICC general secretary who is considered very close to Rahul Gandhi). He told me that though the AICC is being reorganised, I won't be made a part of it because the Lok Sabha election was very close and I will have to contest the Lok Sabha election. I was asked to focus on my election.
So you were promised, five months ago, by Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal that the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat will be given to you and yet it didn't happen.
Mr Venugopal is a very powerful leader within the AICC and one of the five power centres that rule the Congress today.
I told him that I should be given an opportunity to contest from the Mumbai North West seat again (Nirupam was defeated by the undivided Shiv Sena's Gajanan Kirtikar by a margin of 260,000 votes) because that is the constituency where I had worked really hard.
He promised me he will look into it. Later on, I realised that the Congress was discussing to give that constituency away to the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction).
They just gave up a seat which was promised to me just four-five months ago. Not only my seat, they gave SS (UBT) five seats out of six (in Mumbai).
That was basically the immediate trigger point. I realised this party doesn't need me or this party doesn't need any grassroots worker or hard-working person.
Every crucial decision is taken on the personal likes and dislikes of these people (the five power centres). I realised some of these five people are not liking me anymore and that is why I was being sidelined in the party.
Why not name these people who make up the five power centres now that you are a relieved man? Who are these leaders?
Primarily, Congress President (Mallikarjun) Kharge was not happy with me because when he was initially in charge during the Lok Sabha election in 2019, at that time, he did some mischievous things against me.
I had spoken openly (against him), I had raised my voice against him. Since then, he was having some reservations about me.
Keeping our differences aside I worked very hard as a returning officer for his presidential election.
After he got elected, I went to see him and I told him, because you are now the party president and have a big heart, forgive me if I have done anything wrong; I apologised for that, and sought to work together for the victory of the Congress.
He did accept my apology, but he still nursed a strong grudge against me. He was definitely having some grudge against me in his heart.
He did not hide his grudge because I was made to feel unwanted after every important meeting and whenever I met him he made it quite obvious from his conversations, with his behaviour that I was unwanted.
(Note: In his interactions with the media after quitting the Congress Nirupam named Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Mallikarjun Kharge and K C Venugopal as the five power centres.)
Did you speak about it with Rahul Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi?
I had sent a text message to Rahul Gandhi on February 17 (2024) that people who are representing thw Congress party in (Maharashtra) and negotiating with the Shiv Sena (UBT) for six Mumbai seats were completely out of sync with reality.
These people have forgotten that the Congress has a strong organistaion in Mumbai. When these negotiations were happening I suspected that something wrong is going to happen and my seat will be sacrificed for the SS (UBT) and lot of things will happen against the Congress party.
I sincerely requested Rahulji to intervene and ensure that the Congress' interests in Mumbai are not sacrificed at the altar of the SS (UBT).
That SMS is still with me. He never replied. He never replied to that SMS. He chose not to reply.
Is Rahul Gandhi under Mallikarjun Kharge's sway?
No, I don't think he's acting on Khargeji's instructions or under his influence. But basically he is showing an 'I-don't-care-attitude'. He is showing the same attitude towards what is happening in Maharashtra or in the various part of the country.
Most of these five power centres are managing the party in their own way. They don't care about it.
They showed the same carelessness with regard to Mumbai and that is why I quit the Congress.