Former Rajya Sabha member M A Khan quits Congress

Two-time Rajya Sabha member from Telangana M A Khan has resigned from the Congress citing various reasons, including absence of any efforts to revive the party from the grassroots level.

In a letter addressed to AICC president Sonia Gandhi, Khan alleged that the party lost its grassroots connections with the cadre and totally failed to convince the public that it can regain its past glory and lead the nation further.

He also said the voice raised by the senior leadership of Congress for the welfare and well-being of the party was seen as dissident activity by the top leaders. If those leaders were taken into confidence by understanding their pain for the revival of the party, things would have been different, Khan pointed out. Reacting to his resignation, AICC in-charge for Telangana Manickam Tagore in a tweet wondered how Khan can resign without even having membership in the party.

Khan served as Rajya Sabha member from 2008 to 2020. "The advices of senior leaders were neglected and they were insulated, once you started to delegate the party responsibilities to your kith and kin. A coterie was encouraged at AICC and 10, Janpath level. As a result, the party lost its connection with the real Congress party cadres and leaders," he alleged in the letter.

He further said the senior leaders are compelled to leave the party as there are no efforts being made by the top leadership to revive the party cadre from grassroots level and serve the nation with the commitment and dedication that it had shown from Jawaharlal Nehru to Rajiv Gandhi.

"Without membership... How you can resign? This Rajya Sabha gang which never worked in the ground now making wrong statements. Another NPA goes... Let us build a congress under Rahul Gandhiji which is with the people and for the people and by the people," Tagore said in his tweet on Khan's resignation.