Ashwani Kumar had served as the Minister of Law and Justice and a Minister of State in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and Ministry of Commerce and Industry during the Congress-led UPA…reports Asian Lite News
Ahead of the Assembly polls in Punjab, the Congress suffered a big setback on Tuesday as former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar quit the party.
He sent his resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi on Monday.
“Having given my thoughtful consideration to the matter, I have concluded that in the present circumstances and consistent with my dignity, I can best subserve larger national causes outside the party-fold.
“I am accordingly quitting the party after a long association of 46 years and hope to proactively pursue public causes inspired by the idea of transformative leadership, based on the dignitarian promise of a liberal democracy envisioned by our freedom fighters,” he added
“While paying my respectful regards, I thank you for the consideration extended to me in the past and wish you a good health in the years ahead,” he said in his resignation letter.
Ashwani Kumar had served as the Minister of Law and Justice and a Minister of State in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and Ministry of Commerce and Industry during the Congress-led UPA. He was appointed one of the Additional Solicitor Generals of India in 1991.
Congress’ ‘secret’ measure
Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar has claimed that the party has put in a ‘secret’ measure in place to ensure that its winning candidates do not defect after results of the state assembly polls are announced on March 10.
Apart from making all its 37 candidates take oath in front of Hindu, Christian and Muslim deities and making them sign affidavits that they will not defect from the party throughout their five-year term if they are elected, the Congress party, Chodankar said has taken another measure, which cannot be disclosed.
“People of Goa are god fearing. We have taken a social commitment from them (MLA) in temples and the Bambolim cross (a Christian religious site). If they renege, the people of Goa will not spare them. Secondly, we have taken an affidavit from them too,” Chodankar said.
“We have also taken a third measure, which we cannot disclose on social media. We have told the candidates what their fate will be even if one of them breaks away. We cannot say this publicly. Everything is ready. People will not agree this time. People will drag them out of their homes and beat them (if they defect).”
Seventeen Congress MLAs were elected to the state Assembly following the 2017polls out of which 13 quit the party to join the BJP until 2019.
However the party was left with just two MLAs by 2022, with its other MLAs joining the BJP, Trinamool Congress or the Aam Aadmi Party between 2019-2022.
