Kori leader quits Cong,forms own party

Kori,who was serving as UPCC spokesperson,said he was forced to leave the party as senior leaders including Rahul Gandhi were fooling Dalits and denying Kori community its due place in the organisation.

Significantly,Kori started his political career with the Backward and Minority Community Employees Federation (BAMCEF) which was founded by Kanshi Ram,also the founder of Bahujan Samaj Party. In 1996,Kori contested the Assembly election from Lucknow (East) on a BSP ticket,which he lost. After joining the Congress in 1998,he was given the Assembly ticket from Sohawal in Faizabad in 2007,but he lost again.

Kori’s resignation has come at a time when the Congress is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the return of backward communities to the party fold.

During the first phase of Congress Sandesh Yatras,which were launched by Rahul Gandhi,Kori along with PL Punia and former BSP leader Balihari Babu were projected as Dalit faces of the party.

“Rahul Gandhi visits poor Dalits’ houses but he or Sonia Gandhi has never invited a poor Dalit to their dinning room. Not a single Kori member has been made AICC member or was given a party ticket during 2009 Lok Sabha elections,” said Kori.

He added,“My new party will be formed on the lines of BAMCEF and we will contest on only reserved seats.”

State Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi said,“It is sad that he is speaking such things about the party which gave him everything. He was a non-entity,we gave him Assembly ticket from Faizabad. I made him the party spokesperson and he was made co-convenor of Congress Yatra along with Punia.”

Joshi further said Kori’s exit would not be a loss to the party. “He does not have enough political backing to form a party on his own. He is encouraged by some external forces,may be the BSP,to take such a step,” she said.