New Delhi: Merely a week ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections, Congress faced another setback after the former Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar resigned from the primary membership of the party on Tuesday. In his resignation letter, Kumar cited his reasons to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, saying, "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 cause outside the party fold."
When asked about the reason behind this move, Ashwani Kumar told ETV Bharat, "There were many such incidents took place leading to such situation which forced me to decide that I can't bear the weight of this party on my shoulder anymore. So, being consistent with my dignity, I took this decision."
"I've taken this decision with a heavy heart. I'm not happy about it. I don't want to make any attack on a particular person but I thought that this is the time to end my 46-year-journey in Congress party and to choose my path on my own," he said.
In his resignation letter, the former Union Minister has also alleged that the party does not have a "transformative and inspiring leadership" to lead it. "In my view, Congress party today is incapable of taking up the core issues. This battle cannot be fought just by raising your pitch or accusing a particular person. The kind of leadership needed to fight this battle is somewhere missing in Congress party today. So, rather than wasting my time anymore, I chose to make my own path," he said to ETV Bharat.
However, he didn't reveal his future course of action. Taking a dig at the functioning of Congress, he said, "I don't think Congress needs us. Congress is working properly. There are 52 MPs. They will run the party. Also, the senior leaders are there to guide this party. Neither the party stopped working without us nor we will be stopped without this party."
Replying to a question on Aam Aadmi Party's allegations on Congress about its inability to resolve the ongoing infighting within its state unit of Punjab and differences between its leaders, Ashwani Kumar said, "This allegation of AAP is somewhere getting proven to be true because of which it is emerging in Punjab." Ashwani Kumar also attacked Congress by saying that the grand old party which used to follow Mahatma Gandhi's ideology is now taking political decisions on the basis of caste and community.
