Anna Hazare’s nephew returns to Congress party

The Congress, which is accused of launching a tirade against the members of the civil society led by social activist Anna Hazare, sprung a surprise when it admitted Vinayak Deshmukh, Hazare’s nephew into its fold. HT reports.

The Congress, which is accused of launching a tirade against the members of the civil society led by social activist Anna Hazare, sprung a surprise when it admitted Vinayak Deshmukh, Hazare’s nephew into its fold.

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Calling it a homecoming, state Congress president Manikrao Thakre said it has nothing to do with the anti-corruption campaign unleashed by Hazare. “Deshmukh has been a Congressman and had left the party for some time. Now he is back,” said Thakre.

Deshmukh, son of Hazare's sister, had been a part of his uncle’s various campaigns including the one at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, which caught the imagination of the nation against the menace of corruption. He claimed that he had left the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to return to Congress.

“I was feeling suffocated in the NCP as there was not much work I could do there,” said Deshmukh, adding that he had not taken his uncle’s permission yet. Thakre said Congress supported Hazare's campaign, which was evident from the fact that its chief Sonia Gandhi had endorsed it on the first day itself.