Congress MLA Baba Siddique on Thursday announced that he is resigning from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress with immediate effect. He further said that there is a lot he could have spoken about but some things are better left unspoken.
"I joined the Indian National Congress party as a young teenager and it has been a significant journey lasting 48 years. Today, I resign from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress party with immediate effect. There's a lot I would have liked to express but as they say some things are better left unsaid. I thank everyone who has been a part of this journey," Siddique said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Baba Siddique's resignation from the Congress comes days after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders said that he was likely to join the faction of the party led by Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. Their comments came after Siddique and his MLA son Zeeshan met Pawar and discussed their course of action, India Today reported.
Siddique was an MLA for three consecutive terms in 1999, 2004 and 2009. He also served as a Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies, Labour and FDA from 2004-08. He was the Chairman of the MHADA Mumbai Board from 2000-04. Baba Siddique also served as a Municipal Corporator for two consecutive terms from 1992-97.
At present, he was serving as the Chairperson and Senior Vice President of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee as well as Parliamentary Board of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee. In 2014 assembly elections, Siddique was defeated by Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar.
Besides his over four-decade-long association with the grand old party, Baba Siddique is known for organising elaborate Iftaar parties, that are attended by the who's who of Bollywood.
The resignation of Baba Siddique is the second setback for Congress party in Maharashtra in around three weeks. In January, Milind Deora resigned from the primary membership of the party and joined the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena.
Soon after joining the Shinde Sena, Deora said there is a marked "difference between the present Congress and the Congress which my father late Murli Deora joined in 1968." He further mentioned that the party has a singular goal of speaking whatever the Prime Minister has to say and do.
Taking further jabs at the Congress, Deora said: "I believe in politics of GAIN- Growth, Aspiration, Inclusivity and Nationalism. I don't believe in the politics of PAIN- Personal Attacks, Injustice and Negativity."
Clinching Maharashtra is key to winning the upcoming Lok Sabha polls 2024. Maharashtra has the second largest number of seats in the Lok Sabha after Uttar Pradesh. The state has 48 seats whereas Uttar Pradesh has 80 seats.
Also Read: Setback for Congress: Milind Deora joins Shiv Sena in presence of CM Eknath Shinde