Expelled Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, who criticized Nehruvian secularism earlier today, has now dropped a broad hint of his future plans with a resounding "Jai Shri Ram". Asked what next, the 59-year-old told reporters, "I have plans, certainly I am joining somewhere. Will declare. You can derive meaning out of Jai Shri Ram".
Mr Nirupam was expelled yesterday over his out-of-turn comments on Congress ally Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena UBT after it announced candidates for 17 seats. Among those was Mumbai North West, a seat Mr Nirupam was eyeing.
The senior leader had won the Mumbai north seat in 2009, but lost the subsequent elections in 2014 and 2019 from Mumbai North and Mumbai North West. Today, he made it clear that he would contest, from the other side if need be.
The Mumbai North West seat is part of the kitty of Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The party is yet to announce its candidate.
The Uddhav Thackeray faction has fielded Amot Kirtikar from the seat. Mr Nirupam told reporters, "I will not allow him to become an MP. I will contest and defeat him".
The former MP, who was penalized by the Congress for 'indiscipline" and "anti-party statements", was defiant. While of a criticism spree, had said, " Secularism doesn't mean disregarding one's own religion... The Nehruvian secularism which has no place for religion in the society, has expired".
There were other barbs directed at the Congress and its allies.
The Congress is now history and has no future and that the Maha Vikas Aghadi is a merger of three "sick units", he said. There are five power centres in the Congress, he said: The three Gandhi family members, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and (party general secretary) K C Venugopal, Mr Nirupam had added.
"There is a huge communication gap in Congress, there are many lobbies," he told reporters.
"I was not being heard by the leadership. The way the Maharashtra alliance was handled was wrong. Giving seats to Sena was a disastrous move, including my seat. They surrendered before the Sena and gave the seat to a scamster under the radar of the Enforcement Directorate," he added.
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