The AICC has not taken a view on Monday’s resignation of Congress general secretary Gurudas Kamat, the second senior leader after former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi to quit the party.
The AICC has not taken a view on Monday’s resignation of Congress general secretary Gurudas Kamat, the second senior leader after former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi to quit the party. A farewell statement given to the media by Mr Kamat mentioned that he would like to retire from active politics.
Mr Kamat, a five-term Lok Sabha member from Mumbai, former Mumbai Congress chief, former Union minister and former India Youth Congress president, is a CWC member and general secretary in charge of party affairs in Gujarat and Rajasthan. His resignation comes as a blow to the party which is preparing for January’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls.
Mr Kamat, a Gandhi-Nehru family loyalist, was hurt by the way the AICC has been backing current Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam, a former Shiv Sainik once known for his proximity to the Thackeray family. Recently, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi nominated former Shiv Sena strongman Narayan Rane to the Maharashtra Legislative Council despite his defeats in the state Assembly election and the byelection in the last one and a half years.
If the Congress has become weak in Chhattisgarh after Mr Ajit Jogi’s exit, it is not in a position to return to power in Maharashtra on its own after the formation of the NCP in 1999.
Mr Kamat had earlier resigned from the Manmohan Singh government when he was offered a lesser ministry, and before that he had resigned as Indian Youth Congress president (during 1987-88) in protest against attempts to sideline him.
In a statement to the media, Mr Kamat said, “Dear friends, over the last more than 44 years I have worked with most of you and served the Congress. For several months now I have felt I need to take a backseat to enable others to get the opportunity (sic). I met Hon. Congress president about 10 days ago and expressed a desire to resign. Subsequently I sent letters to both Soniaji and Rahulji that I would like to exit. Since there was no reply I have formally informed that I would like to retire from politics. I would like to thank each one of you for all the cooperation I received and wish the best to the party leadership and each one of you.”
Mr Kamat was said to have been against the appointment of Mr Nirupam as Mumbai Congress chief. However, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi openly supported Mr Nirupam and Mr Kamat began distancing himself from Mumbai politics after losing the Lok Sabha polls in 2014. The former MP had declined a ministry in the UPA-2 government, terming it as “not prominent”.
Mr Kamat’s experience is needed in Mumbai for the crucial BMC polls, some in the party feel. The Congress is worried that his followers might go to other parties. There was no reaction from Kamat apart from the message and also from the Mumbai Congress.
