Ashwani Kumar quits Congress, says ‘party lost touch with ground reality’

In a fresh setback for Congress in the midst of the election cycle, former Union minister Ashwani Kumar on Tuesday ended his 46-year-long association with the party.

In a fresh setback for Congress in the midst of the election cycle, former Union minister Ashwani Kumar on Tuesday ended his 46-year-long association with the party which “had lost touch with the ground reality and no longer reflected the national mood”.

Former Union law minister Ashwani Kumar, who resigned from the Congress, flashes the victory sign, at his residence in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI)

The former lawmaker from Punjab, where polling is scheduled to be held on February 20, also slammed the manner in which former chief minister Amarinder Singh was humiliated into resignation last year and predicted a comfortable win for the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state.

“The manner in which Capt Amarinder Singh was humiliated and forced to resign was an ominous signal. He deserved better,” the veteran party leader said during his interactions with the media.

Singh resigned from the top post on September 18 last year following a long-drawn tussle with Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, four cabinet ministers and several party legislators amid fears that anti-incumbency arising from his style of functioning could hurt the party’s chances in the forthcoming polls. Charanjit Singh Channi, who was among the rebel ministers, was picked by the party as the next chief minister of the state.

The 69-year-old criticised the “narrow minded” Congress and expressed anguish over recent controversies over Padma Bhushan award to senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Kumar’s exit comes close on the heels of a spate of resignations, the most recent being that of another former union minister R P N Singh. A number of party leaders have quit the Congress in the recent past. These include Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada, Sushmita Dev and Louisinho Faleiro.

In his resignation letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, the former Rajya Sabha MP said he can best serve national causes outside the party fold.

“Having given my thoughtful consideration to the matter, I have concluded that in the present circumstances and consistent with my dignity, I can best subserve larger national causes outside the party fold,” he said.

“I am accordingly quitting the party after a long association of 46 years and hope to proactively pursue public causes inspired by the idea of transformative leadership, based on the dignitarian promise of a liberal democracy envisioned by our freedom fighters,” he added.

Taking note of the development, Manish Tewari, another Congress leader Punjab, said: “Kumar spent 45 years in the Congress. He was there in the UPA government. Even if a small worker leaves the party, we are bound to suffer.”

Another senior leader from Punjab, however, on condition of anonymity said Kumar’s exit would not impact the party’s prospects in the state elections.

Agreeing with Kumar’s statement that AAP will record a comfortable victory in the polls, AAP spokesperson Neel Garg said: “Pre-poll surveys have indicated that the AAP is way ahead of other parties, particularly from the time Bhagwant Mann was named the party’s CM candidate. The announcement has given a fresh fillip to the party in all three regions – Malwa, Majha and Doaba. His (Kumar’s) decision to quit the Congress shows that it (the party) is a sinking ship.”

The veteran Congress leader, who served as law minister in the Manmohan Singh cabinet between October 2012 and May 2013, shares good relations with the former prime minister.

In his letter, Kumar also thanked Gandhi for her “considerations” in the past and wished her best health.