Balasaheb Thorat resigns from CLP post; haven’t seen the letter, says Patole

Thorat’s resignation comes amid months of growing but silent discontent against Patole over his alleged “autocratic” manner of functioning. The development comes close on the heels of the Congress’s impressive performance in the recently held biennial state legislative council polls which saw the party winning two council seats, Nagpur and Amaravati, considered to be strongholds of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Despite the electoral victory, the infighting spilling out in the open has highlighted serious organisational issues within the party.

Sources close to Thorat confirmed to The Indian Express that the 70-year-old has resigned. “He sent his resignation along with the letter he had sent to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge,” a source confirmed.

Patole, speaking to reporters in Nagpur, said that he is not aware of any such letter written by Thorat. “Show me the letter if you have one. I don’t think a senior leader like Thorat ji would resign from the position of legislative party leader,” he said.

Patole said that the party is united in its fight against growing unemployment, inflation and financial frauds against the people of this country. “I have been working with the state unit of the party to take this agenda forward. Yesterday, when we filed nominations for the Kasba Peth bypolls, all leaders were present. Thorat ji could not come because of his injury. But we will be meeting on February 15 in our executive committee meeting to continue our fight. We resolve to fight and win the upcoming bypoll,” said Patole.

When contacted, H K Patil, Maharashtra in-charge for the All India Congress Committee (AICC), said he was on his way to Delhi from Karnataka in the wake of the present political crisis.

Thorat is the maternal uncle of Satyajeet Tambe who recently contested the Legislative Council polls as an Independent and emerged victorious. The Congress had nominated Tambe’s father Sudhir for the polls.

After winning the election, Satyajeet, in a press conference, said that despite informing the state unit of the party that he wanted to contest the polls, he was given false AB forms. He alleged there was a “calculated conspiracy” to defame his uncle Thorat and oust his family from the Congress.

In his letter to Kharge, Thorat listed out how he was “humiliated” by Patole. The veteran leader’s letter also mentioned instances of “statements made against his family members in public” and how the Tambe episode was “intentionally heightened, instead of being quelled”. Thorat reportedly also mentioned that he was targeted in party meetings, adding it was difficult to work under Patole’s leadership.