In a major setback to Congress ahead of the October 21 polls in Haryana, its former state unit chief Ashok Tanwar resigned from the primary membership of the party on Saturday.
The resignation came two days after the sulking Tanwar quit from all election committees of the party, alleging irregularities in ticket distribution for Haryana Assembly polls. He had also alleged that the Congress party had become "Hooda Congress" in the poll bound state.
Tanwar, former Member of Parliament from Sirsa, considered a Rahul Gandhi loyalist, has been miffed with the party ever since he was removed as the Haryana Congress chief. Discontent over ticket distribution in poll bound state has brought the rift within the Congress party to the fore.
Propped up by Rahul Gandhi, Tanwar saw rise from youth Congress to center stage of Haryana politics as PCC chief within a short span of time. He was removed as Haryana state unit chief to accommodate demands of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi had replaced Tanwar around a month ago as Haryana party chief with Kumari Selja, in a bid to curb infighting within the state unit. But he was shown the door just before ticket distribution process kicked off.
Tanwar took to Gandhigiri outside 10 Janpath in New Delhi on October 2 while party leadership was busy in Padyatra in the national capital. He had revolted against the party leadership alleging irregularities and corruption in ticket distribution and openly protested, claiming that Assembly poll tickets were being “sold”. They had also demonstrated at the All India Congress Committee headquarters.
Tanwar announced his resignation on Twitter and posted a four-page resignation letter addressed to Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi in which he said, "Congress is going through existential crises, not because of its political opponents but because of serious internal contradiction.”
He had alleged that those who worked against the party’s interests in the last five years were given preference over those who worked hard for it. "I after several months of consideration tender my resignation from the primary membership of the Congress party, which I nurtured from my sweat and blood. My fight is not personal but against the system which is destroying the grand old party," the letter said.
The reasons of his resignation are well known to all Congressmen, Tanwar said, adding that he has taken the decision after having long deliberations with party workers.
Tanwar, who had been excluded from the lists of Congress candidates for the Haryana Assembly elections, had alleged that those who worked against the party’s interests in the last five years have been given preference over those who worked hard for it. In a letter to Interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Tanwar had claimed that the Haryana Congress has turned into the “Hooda Congress”, referring to former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Tanwar, who started his career as an activist of NUSI in JNU, was Secretary, All India Congress Committee. He was also a former president of Indian Youth Congress and NSUI. He was the youngest person to become the president of India Youth Congress. In 2009 he won the Lok Sabha elections from Sirsa in Haryana as a Congress party's candidate. However, he lost the 2014 Lok Sabha elections to Charanjeet Singh Rori of Indian National Lok Dal. He became the president of Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee on 14 February 2014.
NO PLACE FOR TANWAR IN BJP, SAYS KHATTAR
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday said the BJP will not include former Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar in the party. Reacting to Tanwar's resignation from the primary membership of the Congress, Khattar said that the Opposition was already very weak in the state and Tanwar's resignation will weaken it further.
Asked whether Tanwar was in touch with the BJP, Khattar said the former Congress leader might have spoken to certain BJP leaders as he himself had said that “he was being approached by the ruling party, but we have taken a decision that we will not allow him in the BJP.”