Sanjay Nirupam says Congress ‘ideologically irrelevant’, has five clashing power centres
The Hindu
Expelled Maharashtra Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam criticizes party's internal power struggles and ideological disarray, hints at future political plans.
Stating that the Congress party had become ideologically irrelevant and its leaders “monumentally arrogant”, expelled Maharashtra Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam launched a broadside against the grand old party on Thursday, remarking that it had five “power centres” that constantly clashed with each other.
Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai, Mr. Nirupam, a former Parliamentarian who was edged out of the Congress for his alleged “indiscipline” and making “anti-party statements”, said that the Congress had become scattered ideologically and organisationally.
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“Earlier there used to be one power centre and it had its own caucus. The others fought against this coterie. But there are five centres now, each with their own lobbies. And these lobbies clash against each other. And people like us, who do not belong to any clique, suffer as a result…this is not just about me, but the feeling of lakhs of people associated with the Congress,” Mr. Nirupam, an ex-MP from the Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency, said.
He added the first power centre was Sonia Gandhi, the second Rahul Gandhi, the third – Mr. Gandhi’s sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who exerted power in her own way.
“Then there is party president Mallikarjun Kharge, whose followers have suddenly become the party’s high command even though they are utterly ignorant about politics. And I cannot even mention the language they use. The last power centre is that of [Congress General Secretary] K.C. Venugopal,” he said.
Stating that the influence of leftists within the Congress was still significant, Mr. Nirupam said that just as Communism had ideologically expired after 1991, the life-span of ‘Nehruvian secularism’ was over after 70 years.
According to the “2023: World Air Quality Report”, India is the third most polluted nation globally and Delhi the most polluted capital city. Though Bengaluru (Rank 673) stands nowhere close to the topmost polluted cities, increasing temperature, irregular rains, growing population and infrastructure are leading to a slow change in the water and air quality of the garden city.