Personal ambition behind resignations, cannot be accommodated: Congress

NEW DELHI: Congress today said the resignations of two senior ministers in Maharashtra and Assam opposing their chief ministers was a matter of "personal ambition" which "cannot be accommodated".

Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi was subjected to a volley of questions at the AICC briefing over the resignations of sulking ministers Narayan Rane in Maharashtra and Himanta Biswa Sarma in Assam.

"This issue is of personal ambition and need for a post... it cannot be accommodated. Congress party is a national party. A stand has been taken openly or otherwise. Nothing more needs to be said," he said signalling that nobody can extract a decision from the high command under pressure or by giving deadlines.

He was also asked about the reported attack by Chaudhary Birender Singh on Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and about the resignation of former state minister Lal Singh from Jammu and Kashmir.

Singhvi scoffed at suggestions that the developments were a jolt to the Congress and that they reflected a challenge to the high command. He also frowned upon the tendency to blame Rahul Gandhi for the problems.

A senior party leader, who declined to be identified, said that it is a fact that assembly elections being held within six months of Lok Sabha polls is bound to have an impact of the general elections, in which the BJP came out with flying colours.

In such a situation to say that changing a chief minister in a state like poll-bound Maharashtra does not make any sense, the leader said.

Rane today met Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, gave his resignation and later slammed him for "slackness" in decision-making.

Similarly, Sarma met Assam Governor and submitted his resignation. He claimed he met the Governor along with 38 MLAs and expressed non confidence in Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

Senior party leader Kamal Nath, speaking separately, downplayed Sarma's resignation. "While the issue is that some people would not be happy with the chief minister, the majority of them are with the chief minister," Nath said.