After Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma blasted Congress leader and scion of Gandhi family Rahul Gandhi for his indifference and blatant disregard for party affairs, another important young leader from the state Rupjyoti Kurmi has blasted Rahul Gandhi in an interview given to India Today.
In his interview, the four time Congress MLA who resigned from the party on June 18 said that Rahul Gandhi ‘loves the company of dumb people and his dog’ Pidi. He said that he resigned from the party feeling “frustrated and disillusioned” with the leadership. He said that the Congress party has no future with Rahul Gandhi at the top.
Unlike Sarma who left Congress in 2016, Kurmi had decided to stay and fight the Bhartia Janata Party (BJP) because the “Congress was in his blood”. His exit now will be a huge loss for the state leadership as he had led a sustained campaign against the BJP -led state government in the last term by raising multiple issues inside and outside the assembly.
In his interview, Kurmi said Rahul Gandhi only listens to select party leaders like K C Venugopal and K B Byju who are his political counsellors and said the “eternal youth leader” doesn’t support young leaders like Sachin Pilot or Jyotiraditya Scindia because of the fear of getting outshined by them.
He added that Rahul Gandhi only supports those leaders who he feels do not pose a challenge to him or those who from a ‘loyal family’.
Kurmi in his interview also said that Rahul Gandhi has never responded to a single email he has sent and rarely pays attention to what people like him in matters of the state.
He then gave the example of how the party struck pre-poll alliance with the AIUDF despite opposition from several MLAs including him. He said that Rahul Gandhi backed Ripun Bora, Gaurav Gogoi and Rockybul Hussain as these leaders needed to win the minority votes in their constituencies and in that process party suffered.
When asked why he joined the BJP, Kurmi said that the main reason for him is the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who has been given opportunities to serve our state and Assam has benefitted immensely including the tea garden community, which I represent, has benefitted a lot.
He accused Congress of drifting away from the community and came to a conclusion that if Rahul Gandhi could sacrifice a performer like Sarma so former chief minister Tarun Gogoi son Gaurav could be promoted, I did not stand any chance within that party.
When asked if he would seek some power from the BJP, Kurmi said, if that had been the case he would have moved six years ago and is not seeking any post or position in BJP. He said that all he wants to do is serve his constituency better as the voters have reposed faith in him four times.
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