Milind Deora resigned from the Congress party for multiple reasons, as detailed in his resignation letter and public statements. His decision marked the end of a 55-year-long association of his family with the Congress party. The key reasons for his resignation include:
1. Disagreements with Party Direction: Deora expressed that the current Congress party did not resonate with the values and principles that it stood for in the past when he and his father joined the party in 1968 and 2004, respectively. He criticized the party for straying from its ideological and organizational roots, highlighting issues such as targeting business houses as ‘anti-national,’ fostering caste divisions, and creating an artificial North-South divide. He accused the Congress party of lacking appreciation for honesty and constructive criticism.
2. Opposition to Modi as the Sole Agenda: Deora asserted that opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed to be the only agenda of the Congress, which he found problematic. He believed that this opposition-centric approach was not constructive.
3. Personal Accountability and Election Losses: Deora took responsibility for the Congress party’s defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, despite being appointed as the Mumbai Congress President only a month before the polling date. He had won the Mumbai South seat in 2004 and 2009 but was the first runner-up in the subsequent elections in 2014 and 2019 against Shiv Sena leader Arvind Sawant.
4. Displeasure with Alliance Dynamics: Deora was unhappy with the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) staking a claim to the Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency, which he represented before 2014. He felt that such actions by an alliance partner (Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray being an ally of Congress in the Maha Vikas Aghadi) were not appropriate, especially since formal talks on sharing of seats were yet to conclude.
5. Being Sidelined and Personal Commitment: Despite being sidelined in the party, Deora emphasized his steadfast commitment to upholding the enduring relationship his family shared with the Gandhi family and the party. He worked tirelessly for the Congress in various roles without seeking personal position or power.
In conclusion, Deora’s resignation stemmed from a combination of personal principles, dissatisfaction with the party’s direction and strategy, accountability for electoral defeats, and disagreement with the party’s alliance dynamics.
