Mumbai: Days after his father Baba Siddique joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddique seems to be on way out as he lashed out at the grand old party and questioned whether he is being "victimised because he was a Muslim".
Not only Zeeshan Siddique attacked the Congress, he also hit out at the Maha Vikas Aghadi by targeting the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and raised questions over the efficiency of Rahul Gandhi’s team.
On Wednesday, Congress removed Zeeshan Siddique as the chief of its youth wing in Mumbai amid speculation about his defection.
Addressing a presser in Mumbai on Thursday, Siddique said, “If the Congress does not need me, I would have to look for new options… I am pretty sure that the Congress does not need me… I came to know from the media that I have been removed as MYC President… they should have spoken to me.”
Siddique said that he would speak to his team and supporters and take a call. “I can't say what I would be doing now, but I am keeping all options open,” he said.
While he described Rahul Gandhi as a good leader, he accused the team of the Wayanad MP as being the biggest factor behind the downfall of the Congress. “It appears that they had taken a contract from the other party (BJP) to finish off Congress,” he said.
Speaking about the party action against him, Siddique said: “Yes…my father has joined another party….if that is so Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi were brothers but their families are on different sides… while Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are with the Congress, Maneka Gandhi and Varun Gandhi are part of BJP. Late Vijayaraje Scindia was with BJP while her son Madhavrao Scindia was with the Congress. In Karnataka. While B N Bache Gowda is with BJP, his son Sharath Bache Gowda is with Congress. While AK Antony is with the Congress, his son Anil Antony has joined the BJP.”
On the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said: “I was in Nanded for the Bharat Jodo Yatra but I was treated very badly… I wanted to meet Rahul ji… I was asked to come after reducing 10 kgs.”
On the MVA government, Zeeshan Siddique said that he was not able to address the issues of his constituency.
“Any party where the space of secularism is reducing is Congress… if you speak of BJP they are doing in openly…in Congress there is hypocrisy,” he said.
Baba Siddique, a three-time MLA and a ex-minister in the Congress-NCP Democratic Front government from Vandre West, resigned from the Congress and joined Ajit Pawar, who is now the Deputy Chief Minister alongside BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis in the Maha Yuti government headed by Eknath Shinde.
Published 22 February 2024, 13:17 IST