Timing of announcement determined by PM Modi: Cong on Milind Deora's resignation
MUMBAI:In a major setback to the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, former Union minister and two-time MP Milind Deora on Sunday quit the party and joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena at a function held at the Maharashtra chief minister’s official residence “Varsha”. Though Mr Deora claimed he had decided to switch over parties because he was inspired by the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Shinde, he took the decision mainly due to the fact that he was not going to get the Lok Sabha ticket as a Congress candidate from Mumbai South seat, which was once his family’s stronghold. Mr Shinde claimed that it was “just a trailer” and that “the whole movie is yet to be released”.
Addressing his supporters at “Varsha” after joining the Shiv Sena, Mr Deora said it was an emotional day for him as he had never thought of leaving the Congress. “Today I am ending my family’s 55-year-old association with the Congress. Today’s Congress is very different from the Congress of 1968 when my father (late Murli Deora) joined the party and the Congress of 2004 when I entered politics. I was loyal to the party during its most challenging decade. Had the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) given importance to constructive and positive suggestions and merit and capability, Eknath Shinde and I would not have been here today. Mr Shinde had to make a major decision and today I had to make a major decision,” he said.
After Jitin Prasada and Jyotiraditya Scindia, this is the third major exit of young leaders of the Congress Party over the last five years. Mr Deora alleged that the Congress Party’s only agenda today was to oppose Mr Modi. “If tomorrow Mr Modi says the Congress is a very good party, they will oppose that also. The same party that ushered in economic reforms 30 years ago is today abusing industrialists, businessmen and calling businessmen anti-nationals. I believe in the politics of GAIN -- growth, aspiration, inclusivity and nationalism. I don’t believe in the politics of PAIN -- personal attacks, injustice and negativity,” he said.
Hailing Mr Modi and Mr Shinde as visionary leaders, Mr Deora said that he decided to join the Shiv Sena because he wanted to support the PM’s vision for the country and the Maharashtra CM’s vision for the state.
Welcoming Mr Deora, Mr Shinde said he performed a similar “surgery” one and half years ago. “I will not say anything more than this. This is just a trailer, the entire film is yet to come in," he said.
Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan also said that there will be bigger “earthquakes” in the next 15 days and more Opposition leaders will join the NDA partners.
However, senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan said that Mr Deora wanted to contest from Mumbai South seat but the understanding within the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, which is part of the INDIA bloc, was to not disturb the sitting MP.
Arvind Sawant from the Shiv Sena (UBT) is the sitting MP from Mumbai South seat. He defeated Mr Deora in 2019 as well as in 2014 as the candidate of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. Earlier, Mr Deora represented the constituency from 2004 to 2014. Before that, his father was the MP of Mumbai South from 1984 to 1996.
AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed Mr Deora’s exit wouldn’t impact the party as “lakhs of Milind Deoras will join”. Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said that the BJP was scared of Rahul Gandhi’s “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra” and was trying to divert the people’s attention from it.
“They have inducted a twice-defeated candidate to divert attention from Mr Gandhi’s yatra. The BJP and its alliance partners are scared of Rahul Gandhi. Therefore, they are pressuring some of our associates through the ED and CBI to join them. But they will not succeed. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will conclude in Mumbai, after that the Shinde government will also go,” Mr Patole said.
