Cong MP quits Rajya Sabha blaming Rahul coterie

Wed, May 7 01:48 AM

Congress scion Rahul Gandhi's leadership came under criticism for the first time on Tuesday with former Union minister Akhilesh Das quitting the party after putting the blame for his decision on the ''coterie'' around the young general secretary.

Das, who was recently dropped from Cabinet, dramatically ended his association with the Congress by walking up to Chairman Hamid Ansari and handed over his resignation letter as soon as the House met. ''I have no faith in the Congress party,'' he announced in the House. He also sent his resignation letter to party president Sonia Gandhi later.

Although Das did not give indications of his next step, rumours are that he will join the BSP and has already struck a deal with BSP chief and UP chief minister Mayawati. In fact, the attack on Rahul is believed to have been scripted by the BSP leadership. The young Congress leader sounded the battle bugle against the BSP when he launched an attack on the ruling establishment in Bundelkhand. In recent weeks, Mayawati had responded sharply, threatening to even pull out support to the UPA government.

''There was a coterie surrounding the 'Yuvraj' (prince) and if the coterie was not happy with somebody, then that person has to suffer,'' Das, who represented UP in the RS, wrote in a seven-page letter that meticulously listed wrong decisions made by the Congress leadership in UP.

''I believe there is a caucus which is doing all this. There is a power coterie. It has surrounded Rahulji (Gandhi) and that is unfortunate that only that coterie can have an access to him,'' he said. ''They don't have any knowledge and they are not Congressmen and they are all surrounding the 'Yuvraj','' Das added.

Targeting Rahul, he said he is in-charge of the country... He is only general secretary of Youth Congress and the NSUI but he is controlling the entire Congress party.

Insisting that he was not upset because he was dropped from the Union Council of Ministers, Das said he had been airing his dissatisfaction at party fora for the last one year. He also questioned the appointment of Rita Bahuguna Joshi as the president of the party's state unit, describing her as a ''daughter'' of Uttaranchal.

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