CR Kesavan, the great-grandson of India's first Gvernor-General C Rajagpalachari, resigned from the Congress on Thursday citing differences with the “present” path the party is on. In his resignation letter addressed to party president Mallikarjun Kharge, CR Kesavan said he has not seen any "vestige of the value" that made him work for the party for over two decades. "I can no longer in good conscience say that I concur with what the Party presently symbolises, stands for ..." he wrote in the letter, "This is why I had recently declined an organisational responsibility at the national level and also refrained from participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra," he added.
Speaking to ANI, CR Kesavan later said that over time he felt that the approach and the attitude of the party were neither constructive nor concrete. “I have been a member of the Congress party for last 22 years, but unfortunately, over a period of time, I feel in Congress, the attitude and approach were neither constructive nor concrete. The values which I worked for changed,” he said.
"It is time for me to chart a new path and therefore I resign from the primary membership of the Congress party with immediate effect. I have also submitted to the appropriate authority my resignation as a trustee of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee Charitable Trust," the resignation letter read.
Dismissing speculations that he might be joining some other party and that his resignation is possibly triggered by some offer, CR Kesavan said he himself does not know what will unfold next. "To set the record straight, I have not spoken to anybody and honestly do not know what will unfold next," he added.
{{/usCountry}}Dismissing speculations that he might be joining some other party and that his resignation is possibly triggered by some offer, CR Kesavan said he himself does not know what will unfold next. "To set the record straight, I have not spoken to anybody and honestly do not know what will unfold next," he added.
{{/usCountry}}In his letter, CR Kesavan said he returned to India to serve the nation driven by an ideology that was "all inclusive and committed to the goal of incremental national transformation."
Recounting his journey in the Congress since 2001, Kesavan said it was challenging and engaging. He got the opportunity to serve as the vice president of the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development at Sriperumbudur, as a member of the Prasar Bharati Board etc.
Thanking Sonia Gandhi for the opportunities and doubting the path the party is headed towards, CR Kesavan said, "I will endeavour in good faith to resolutely serve our country through a political platform. It will be one where I can continue to steadfastly uphold the integrity and ideals of public life, instilled and defended by the founding fathers and mothers of our great nation and my great grandfather C Rajagopalachari."
CR Kesavan's resignation comes within a month of former defence minister AK Antony's son Anil Antony's exit from the party. While Anil cited the BBC row in which his opinion was in favour of PM Modi and against the BBC, CR Kesavan did not specify any particular reason. But mentioned Bharat Jodo Yatra and the fact that he did not join the Rahul Gandhi-led Kanyakumari to Kashmir yatra owing to his disillusionment with the party.