Former MP Anand Prakash Gautam resigns from Congress

In a setback to the Congress, veteran party leader and former MP Anand Prakash Gautam has resigned from the party alleging neglect of workers. Announcing his decision at a press conference on Monday night, Gautam alleged that due to money and muscle power of prominent leaders in the district, grassroot and hardworking workers were being neglected.

Gautam was a member of the Rajya Sabha for two terms.

Without taking the name of former MP PL Punia, Gautam alleged that a senior leader of the party is trying to "fix his equations" to make his son win from Jaidpur assembly constituency and has no time to talk in favour of other candidates.


"Such leaders are neglecting grassroot workers and disappointed over this, I am resigning from the primary membership of the party," he said.

In his resignation sent to the UPCC president, Gautam said that he was hurt by the chaos at the local level in almost all the districts of the state.

Senior Congressmen are being deliberately neglected, he said.

Gautam said that he had tried to meet national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra many times and also talk to her on phone but the people around her never let him meet her.

When asked if his leaving the party was linked to his son Jayant Gautam's aspiration to contest from Haidergarh seat, Gautam said there is no such issue.

"In 2012, I myself was seeking a ticket from Haidergarh but did not get it. The one who was given the ticket had later left the party," Gautam added.

The seven-phase Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls will begin next month.