I will contest polls and win, says Sanjay Nirupam after expulsion from Congress

Mumbai: Lashing out at the Congress leadership and asserting that Nehruvian Socialism as an ideology has expired, Sanjay Nirupam, a former Member of Parliament who was expelled from the Congress party, said he is going to contest the Lok Sabha polls and win the elections for sure.

Nirupam dropped hints that he may join the BJP-led NDA alliance and said he would announce his next destination after Chaitra Navratri on 9 April.

“I will contest the elections from here and going to win for sure,” said Nirupam. “We are now in Kharmas month… Navratri is coming on 9 April… I will announce after that,” he said. 

Nirupam was expelled by the Congress for statement against the grand old party’s leadership and that of allies. However, he said that he had sent his resignation to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge before the letter of expulsion came. 

A two-term Rajya Sabha member of Balasaheb Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and a former Congress MP from Mumbai North, Nirupam was alleged to have made anti-party statement for the past fortnight. 

Nirupam described the Maha Vikas Aghadi as a “loss-making entity” as the base of three principal parties - Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-headed NCP (SP) - has eroded over the past. 

Nirupam was keen to contest from Mumbai North-West. However, as seat-sharing talks were under way, Thackeray announced the candidature of Amol Kirtikar, which has irked the former lawmaker. 

He again described Thackeray as “bachi-kuchi Sena ke mukhiya”. 

Nirupam also hit out at Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut without naming them. 

Over the past week, there have been reports that he may join BJP or Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. 

On being repeatedly asked, Nirupam said, “I am not saying anything today… lets wait till Navratri.” 

Nirupam said that the Congress has five power-centres and the leadership has gone to “outdated people” and “scrap”. “The power centres are Sonia Gandhi ji, Rahul Gandhi ji, Priyanka Gandhi ji… Mallikarjun Kharge ji and General Secretary-Organisation KC Venugopal ji… everyone of them have got their own caucus and lobbies,” he said.

To a question, he said the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is growing by the day.

“Congress is an organisationally disturbed party, there are problems within. India has become a religious country now. The Nehruvian secularism, which opposed religion and is under the Leftist influence, has expired... Nehruvian Secularism had made Hindus fear their their own religion… as an ideology Nehruvian Socialism is ending… unfortunately, the Congress is not accepting it,” he said, adding, "Secularism doesn’t mean disregarding one’s own religion."