Denial of ticket: Youth Congress leaders resign en masse

Angered by the decision of All India Congress Committee (AICC) to not issue a ticket to Dakshina Kannada Youth Congress president Mithun Rai for the Mulki-Moodbidri seat, president and members of Block Congress Committee in all the eight Legislative Assembly constituencies and office-bearers of the Dakshina Kannada Youth Congress Committee submitted their resignation en masse to the DCC on Tuesday.

They maintained that they will remain neutral till the Youth Congress president announces his stand.

Briefing reporters here on Tuesday, Youth Congress general secretary Kiran Kumar Gudleguthu said AICC president Rahul Gandhi had promised to give priority to the youth during the upcoming Assembly elections.

Three years ago, MLA of Mulki-Moodbidri constituency Abhayachandra Jain had said that he will not contest the elections in order to pave the way for youngsters.

Accordingly, Mithun Rai has been working in the constituency for the last three years by developing a network of youth and organising the party at the grassroots level, they claimed.

“We have been contributing to the growth of Congress, led by Mithun Rai, in Moodbidri constituency. We had hoped that the ticket would be given to Mithun Rai to give representation to youth power,” the Youth Congress general secretary said.

“The denial of ticket to Mithun Rai has disheartened the Youth Congress members and they are not keen on participating in organising the party in the future. They doubt whether the youths will ever get justice in the party,” he added.

State Youth Congress general secretary Suhail Kandak said that they are not against anyone in the party.

“We only expected that Mithun Rai would be given the ticket. Till Rai arrives, we will remain neutral and will abide by the decisions taken by him,” he said.

In reply to a query on whether mass resignations will amount to anti-party activities, he said, “We have been with the Congress in the past and will be in the Congress in future also. We are neither against any leader nor the high command in the party. We only want a ticket for Mithun Rai.” All efforts to reach out to Rai failed after he was denied the ticket.