Alliance with Shiv Sena UBT is turning to be self-destructive for Congress: Sanjay Nirupam

How can letting one seat to an ally result in the end of the party?

Shiv Sena UBT has announced candidates in four out of six seats (in Mumbai) and they are going to announce the fifth one as well in a few days. Congress will get one remaining seat as a charity. This is nothing but an attempt to bury the Congress in Mumbai and I condemn it. I condemn the Shiv Sena leadership and the Congress leadership which participated in the seat-sharing discussions. The Congress leaders who were sent for negotiations did not act tough. They did not care about Mumbai. Like Balasaheb Thorat, I say that the Sena should rethink and if they don’t then Congress should break the alliance and fight the battle if they want to save the party. The alliance with Shiv Sena is turning to be self-destructive.

What are your reservations against the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate for Mumbai North West?

The candidate faces corruption charges and he is being probed by the ED. He has allegedly taken money from the contractors supplying Khichdi to migrant workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. I oppose this candidate and I will never work for such a ‘Khichdi chor’ candidate. Congress’ big votebank is of migrant labourers. This candidate has taken a commission in the meals of these workers and therefore no Congress worker will vote for him. The Congress leadership who takes a high moral ground on the issue of corruption, should answer as to whether it approves this candidate.

Has Congress leadership failed?

The leadership does not care about local leaders. Nobody had any discussion with me in the last two weeks, nobody asked me if there was any alternative, and nobody asked me why I wanted to contest this. At a time when Congress leadership is talking about extending Nyay (justice) to different sections of society, it is not looking into the injustice committed against its party workers. I want to tell the leadership that I will wait for one week. All options are open to me. I am not sitting without any option and I am ready for a battle till the end. I will make the announcement after one week. Even in the case of Prakash Ambedkar, the leadership should have found a way out of it. But it seems that even he was let go in the midway.

Is Sena UBT turning out to be a threat to Congress in Maharashtra?

The manner in which seats have been snatched from Congress, it seems that the Sena has a hidden agenda to destroy Congress completely and create a votebank within the Congress’ votes. It should have been an equal distribution of seats in Mumbai, but the force used by the Sena puts a question mark on its intention. Will Congress’ traditional voter go with the Sena? Even in 2019, I was the one to openly oppose the alliance between Sena and Congress.

Will you contest the election?

You will get the answer in one week. After all, I am a politician and where will I go if I do not contest the
election?