Sanjay Nirupam quits Shiv Sena
Sources said difference with the party over migration of 'north Indians' to Mumbai was the reason for his quitting.
In sudden development, firebrand Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam was on Wednesday out of the party following differences over the alleged allotment of Reliance Infocomm shares to a person close to BJP leader Pramod Mahajan but the party said he was asked to resign from Rajya Sabha.
Nirupam, the North Indian face of Shiv Sena who hails from Bihar, will also be resigning in a day or two from the Rajya Sabha, at least a year ahead of the expiry of his term.
"I had resigned from the party, as I was unable to carry out the orders issued by the Shiv Sena leadership. There were differences between us on certain issues and it was not possible for me to obey the orders," the vocal said.
Although there was no official comment from the party, Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly and Sena leader Narayan Rane said in Mumbai "the Sena leadership had not asked Nirupam to quit the party. It is not fair that just because the party took away what it gave, one should part ways."
"I will be resigning from the Rajya Sabha in a day or two," he said shortly after his arrival in New Delhi from Mumbai where he had a meeting with Sena chief Bal Thackeray, who asked him to quit his Rajya Sabha seat.
Media reports had said that Nirupam was expected to raise the issue of huge allocation of Reliance Infocomm shares to a businessman who was a close associate of Mahajan.
"The media reports gave and impression that I was to name Mahajan in Parliament, which prompted him to ask the Thackerays to refrain me from doing so," Nirupam said.