‘Outdated leaders…no future left’: Sanjay Nirupam attacks Congress, day after being expelled

Hitting out at ‘Nehruvian secularism’ and the ‘Leftist circle’ around the Congress leadership, Sanjay Nirupam said on Thursday that he would contest the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat that was denied to him.

Former Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam addresses the media in Mumbai on Thursday. (Express Photo: Sankhadeep Banerjee)

A day after he was expelled from the party for six years for indiscipline and anti-party statements, the former Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam on Thursday launched a scathing attack against the party, saying its “outdated” leaders have lost touch with ground reality and it was a party with “no future left”.

While Nirupam chose to attack “Nehruvian secularism” and the “Leftist circle” around the Congress leadership, he also expressed displeasure over the party denying him a ticket from the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency. “Had Congress given me the ticket, it would have shown that they were ready to listen to the issues I was raising,” he claimed.

Nirupam, who originally hails from Bihar, started his career as an executive editor at Dopahar Ka Saamna, the Hindi mouthpiece of the Shiv Sena, in 1993. Shiv Sena founder, the late Bal Thackeray, chose him to represent the party in the Rajya Sabha in 1996 and he was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2000 for a second term. After alleged differences with Uddhav Thackeray, Nirupam resigned from the Shiv Sena in March 2005 and joined the Congress a month later in April.

Looks like, immediately after the party received my resignation letter last night, they decided to issue my expulsion.
Good to see the such promptness.
Just sharing this info.
I will give detail statement today between 11.30 to 12 PM pic.twitter.com/3Wil8OaxuE

— Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) April 4, 2024

The Congress gave Nirupam a Lok Sabha ticket in 2009 from the Mumbai North constituency and he won the seat. He often clashed with the then recently formed Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) over the ‘sons of the soil’ versus North Indians issue. He was appointed as the Congress spokesperson in 2012 and has been a member of parliamentary committees such as the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). In 2015, he was appointed as the president of the Mumbai Congress.

An ambitious and controversial leader, Nirupam is known to make sensational statements. In 2016, his statement seeking proof of the surgical strike by the Indian Army on a terror base in Pakistan had created a row with the ruling BJP raising the issue nationally.

Nirupam’s stint as Mumbai party chief did not bring lost glory to the Congress and it was alleged then that he could not win over North Indians as he was a Bihari. Under his leadership, the party touched its lowest number, 31, in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the 2017 civic polls.

One of the major reasons for Nirupam’s dissent against the Congress was that it did not ask for the Mumbai North West seat, which he had lost in two consecutive Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019. “If Uddhav Thackeray is so concerned about corruption then how can he give tickets to a person involved in the khichdi scam during Covid-19? I had told the same to the Congress party…how it can support a corrupt person?” Nirupam asked without naming Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Amol Kirtikar, whom the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had summoned for questioning in the civic body’s alleged khichdi scam.

Also Read | Upset over Mumbai North-West seat: As Cong announces disciplinary action, Nirupam set to join Shinde Sena soon

Nirupam has maintained that he will contest the seat. “Yes, I am going to contest the seat. May not be Independent. But will let you know after 9th (April), when Navratri begins,” he said.

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The former Congress leader said on Thursday that the party has no future and the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is a “venture of three loss-making companies” which will fail.

While Nirupam chose to attack Congress for its “Nehruvian secularism”, sources confirmed that he did try to meet Thackeray in the last few months but was denied an audience. Nirupam was also advised to concentrate on the Versova Assembly seat which he had refused. He was even in touch with an influential BJP leader from Bihar. Last month, he even held a meeting with Congress-turned-BJP leader Ashok Chavan in Mumbai.

“Congress is an organisationally disturbed party. Many have already pointed out the ideological disturbance as well. Congress today has five power centres with different lobbies and people like me who are not of any lobby suffer. These five power centres are of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary K C Venugopal. Because of this, the meritorious workers are suffering. I kept my patience for a long time but it is finally over,” said Nirupam.

“After 70 years, the Nehruvian secularism adopted by the Congress party which refuses to accept religion is over. Now, the Congress party is under the influence of Communists. Rahul Gandhi is surrounded by Leftists. These Leftists oppose Lord Ram in Ayodhya. It is only the Congress that, after receiving the invitation to Ayodhya, raised doubts over the existence of Lord Ram. This is the Communist influence on Congress,” Nirupam, who had started his press conference with “Jai Shri Ram”, said.

Alok Deshpande

Alok Deshpande is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express' Mumbai bureau, recognized for his focused and authoritative reporting on governance, politics, and the socio-economic dynamics of Maharashtra's hinterlands. His unique academic background in Geology and early work in the water sector provides a specialized layer of Expertise to his reporting on resource and environmental issues. Expertise Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express, Mumbai. Core Authority: Alok provides detailed coverage of Maharashtra politics and governance, with a particular emphasis on how policies and power struggles affect the rural and semi-urban areas (the 'hinterlands'). Key Coverage Areas: His reports frequently focus on high-stakes administrative and political topics, including: State Assembly Proceedings: In-depth reporting on the Legislative Assembly, covering ministerial statements, legislative debates, and inter-party conflict within the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Policy & Finance: Coverage of state finances, including supplementary budget demands, fiscal deficits, and major government schemes (e.g., Jal Jeevan Mission, Ladki Bahin Yojana). Rural and Social Issues: Reports on critical health issues (e.g., child deaths in districts), human-animal conflict (leopard attacks, stray dogs), and agrarian concerns (e.g., farmer suicides). Local and Urban Governance: Covers major announcements regarding urban development (e.g., BMC's OC amnesty scheme, pagdi system push) and local body elections, including political defections and alliance splits. Unique Credentials & Trustworthiness Academic Specialization: Holds a Post-graduate degree in Geology. This background gives him a foundational understanding of natural resources, which directly informs his reporting on environment, water, and infrastructure projects. Early Professional Experience: His shift to journalism came after working with an NGO focused on the water sector. This practical experience strengthens his Expertise in critical areas like water management and rural development, as evidenced by his reporting on the Jal Jeevan Mission. Journalism Training: An alumnus of the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, confirming his formal training and commitment to rigorous journalistic standards. Alok Deshpande's rare combination of scientific education, non-profit sector experience, and deep political reporting makes him a highly trusted and authoritative voice on the governance and ground realities of Maharashtra. He tweets @alokdesh ... Read More

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