Gurudas Kamat turns in resignation yet again

Mumbai: Senior Congress leader and former minister Gurudas Kamat has, once again, turned in his resignation. The veteran leader had last attempted to resign from the party in February 2017, as he had objections over the working style of Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam.

This time, however, it’s the party high command’s decision to appoint former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Member of Parliament Rajiv Satav as members of a team that will take decisions in poll-bound Gujarat that seems to have sparked his latest resignation. Mr Kamat, who is in charge of the Gujarat Congress, had been preparing the party for the elections there.

Mr Kamat made his decision of quitting all posts of the party public through press release on Wednesday. It reads, “I welcome the decision to give charge of Gujarat to Shri Ashok Gehlot and four other AICC general secretaries.” The Congress has not reacted to his resignation yet.

On Wednesday, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi decided to hand over Gujarat’s affairs to the party’s team that was responsible for its victory in the Punjab assembly polls. Mr Gehlot was leading the AICC team along with Mr Satav, Meenakshi Natrajan and others.

Mr Kamat, who had resumed working for the party after he was convinced to do so by his workers and the Congress high command indicated that it would look into his issues, has been known for making such moves. He had refused to take the oath of office and returned to Mumbai over portfolio issues during the UPA 2 regime. However, Mr Kamat’s loyalty towards the Gandhi family has always worked in his favour and party never took any action against him.

Meanwhile, a senior leader from Congress said on the condition of anonymity, “Mr Kamat should understand that Mr Gandhi is very serious about the Gujarat elections this time. That’s why he has appointed these people in Gujarat. For the sake of his political future, he should take this decision sportingly.”