Felt suffocating, toxic: Milind Deora slams Congress's politics

In a major jolt to the Congress, former minister and two-time MP Milind Deora ended the 55-year-old association of the Deora family with the grand old party and joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Former Union Minister Milind Deora who switched parties from Congress to Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), told NDTV that Congress politics felt suffocating and toxic' and Milind wished them well.

Milind joined hands with the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, justifying his move as 'a path to development'.

Deora, who seems to have been amongst those disgruntled within the Congress, had slammed the party earlier also claiming that it had changed greatly since his father joined in 1968.

He told the publication, "I found it suffocating, and toxic. It certainly isn't the Congress my father joined. They are not the same as they were 20 years."

He also said that the party had resorted to personal attacks on industrialists and businessmen, adding, "The same party that ushered in economic reforms 30 years ago, is a party that is abusing industrialists, businessmen and calling businessmen 'anti-nationals'."

The ex-Congress man continued, "My father told me to speak well on Day One of politics… It is about working with people. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who brought the 1991 reforms, never named industrialists and attacked them."

He also told the publication, "He (Manmohan Singh) questioned institutions. The Congress is personally attacking businessmen. It is very sad that party that was great once has gone down to a level of calling people names and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi names. I've never made such statements in my 20 years of politics."

Milind said that Shinde had assured him that he could be an MP.

He said, "The Congress didn't believe that. He (Shinde) invited me to the party so that I could guide them."

Deora also expressed that he was upset over the Congress's lack of response to Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut's remarks.

He remarked, "I did express regret over Sanjay Raut's statement that Congress should negotiate in Maharashtra from zero seats. Not one leader from Delhi told Shiv Sena UBT regarding the statement. They have reached a stage where they are dictated by a party which lost its symbol and has no status."

He also rebuffed the Congress's claim that the timing of his party change has been calculated to upstage Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra'.

He said, "It is unfortunate that Congress has said this and if the big leader is leaving then they should address their concern rather than question the timing. It's ridiculous."