With its senior leader Milind Deora resigning just before the start of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the Congress on Sunday alleged that the timing of the announcement of his departure from the party was determined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh told PTI that Mr Deora had spoken with him over phone this Friday and requested that he wanted to speak with Rahul Gandhi over his concerns over the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) laying claim to the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat. Both Milind Deora and his father Murli Deora had served as MPs from Mumbai South.

“He messaged me on Friday at 8:52 AM and then at 2:47 PM I replied, ‘Are you planning a switch?’. At 2:48 he sent a message, ‘is speaking to you not possible?’ I said I will call you and at 3:40, I spoke to him,” Mr Ramesh said.

“He (Deora) said he is concerned that it is a sitting Shiv Sena seat, he wanted to meet Rahul Gandhi and explain to him about the seat and also wanted me to talk to Mr Gandhi about it,” the Congress general secretary said.

“Obviously all this was a farce and he had made up his mind to leave. The timing of the announcement of his departure was clearly determined by the PM,” Mr Ramesh alleged.

In a post on X, Mr Ramesh recalled his long years of association with seven-time Congress MP Murli Deora with great fondness.

“He (Murli Deora) had close friends in all political parties, but was a stalwart Congressman who ALWAYS stood by the Congress party – through thick and thin. Tathastu!” he said.

Former Union minister Milind Deora today said he had resigned from the primary membership of the party.

In a post on social media platform X, the former South Mumbai Lok Sabha MP said, “Today marks the conclusion of a significant chapter in my political journey. I have tendered my resignation from the primary membership of the Congress, ending my family’s 55 year relationship with the party. I am grateful to all leaders, colleagues and karyakartas for their unwavering support over the years.” 

Mr Deora, who was recently appointed the joint treasurer of the All India Congress Committee, had expressed disapproval at the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) laying claim to the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat. 
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Congress suffered a big jolt today ahead of its mega yatra that aims to boost workers’ morale ahead of the upcoming national elections. Senior leader Milind Deora’s resignation marks the end of his family’s 55-year relationship with the party, he said in an online post.

Here are some of the biggest Congress exits in the past few years:

Milind Deora

Former Union Minister Milind Deora, son of Congress veteran Murli Deora, resigned from the Congress on Sunday. He is expected to join the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde later in the day. He had recently expressed displeasure over the Uddhav Thackeray faction, a part of the opposition alliance, claiming to contest from the Mumbai South seat.

Kapil Sibal

Former Union minister Kapil Sibal resigned from the Congress on May 16, 2022, but made the announcement over a week later, moments after filing his nomination for Rajya Sabha as an independent supported by Samajwadi Party. He had later told NDTV that his decision was not sudden and he will not join any party.

Ghulam Nabi Azad

Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad’s resignations was among the biggest exits the party suffered in 2022. The former chief minister of undivided Jammu and Kashmir, who was also party of the G-23 dissident group, called out Rahul Gandhi for “immaturity” in the party, in his bombshell resignation letter. He has now floated his regional party in J&K – Democratic Progressive Azad Party.

Hardik Patel

Gujarat Patidar leader Hardik Patel quit the Congress in May 2022 with his resignation letter pummelling Rahul Gandhi, who had brought him into the party in 2019. Top leaders, he wrote in his letter, “were distracted by their mobile phones” and the Gujarat Congress was more interested in ensuring “chicken sandwiches” for them. He joined the BJP a month later.

Ashwani Kumar

Ashwani Kumar, a former Union minister, resigned from the Congress in February 2022, just days before Punjab went to polls. A party veteran, he was the first senior UPA cabinet minister to quit the party following their drubbing in the 2019 elections.

Sunil Jakhar

Sunil Jakhar, who had headed the Punjab Congress unit, quit the party in 2022 after the leadership showcaused him for criticising then chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi. He joined the BJP in May and was named its Punjab unit chief in July that year.

RPN Singh

Former Union minister RPN Singh quit the Congress and joined the BJP on January 2022, becoming the most prominent leader to do so just before Uttar Pradesh elections. Mr Singh, a key backward caste leader, had reportedly been upset over being sidelined in the UP campaign led by Priyanka Gandhi.

Jyotiraditya Scindia

Jyotiraditya Scindia, now a Union minister, quit the Congress and joined the BJP in 2020, engineering a mass defection that brought down the Kamal Nath government and helped Shivraj Singh Chouhan get back at the helm in Madhya Pradesh. The royal scion is the son of Madhavrao Scindia, a former Union Minister.

Jitin Prasada

Jitin Prasada, a former Union minister who was once close to Rahul Gandhi, crossed over to the BJP in 2021, a year before the Uttar Pradesh elections. He was the Congress’s top Brahmin face in UP. “BJP is the only real political party. It’s the only national party. The rest are regional,” he had said defending his decision.

Alpesh Thakor

Alpesh Thakor, a former Congress MLA, quit the party in July 2019 after voting against the party candidate in bypolls to two Rajya Sabha seats. He joined the BJP days later and was fielded for the bypoll from Radhapur, but lost the seat. He won from Gandhinagar South in last year’s elections.

Anil Antony

Anil Antony, son of Congress veteran AK Antony, quit the party in January last year and joined the BJP next month, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for having a very clear vision of putting India in a leading place. AK Antony, a former defence minister, had expressed anguish and disappointment over his son’s decision.

Shakti Kapoor has portrayed numerous eccentric characters throughout his career, with one standout being Crime Master Gogo in Rajkumar Santoshi’s cult classic Andaz Apna Apna, starring Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, and Karishma Kapoor. Surprisingly, Shakti Kapoor recently disclosed that another actor was initially considered the first choice for the role of Crime Master Gogo.

While discussing his involvement with a leading news portal, Shakti Kapoor recounted that around 70% of the filming had already been completed when he joined the project. Despite expressing concerns about scheduling conflicts and tight timelines, he mentioned that director Rajkumar Santoshi and the producer, who happened to be his friend, persisted in urging him to join. To find a compromise, he proposed shooting his scenes at night, contingent on the approval of the other stars.

He further added, “Then I reached out to Tinnu, asking if he was okay with me playing the role instead of him. He is a very good friend of mine and I wouldn’t have assumed the part without his permission. Fortunately, he had no reservations.”