Two-time Uttarakhand legislator and noted peasant leader Chaudhary Yashveer Singh on Monday announced his resignation from the Congress alleging the party’s failure to function as a strong Opposition in the state.

Singh who won twice from the rural belt of Iqbalpur-Lakshar-Roorkee on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket in 2002 and 2007, joined the Congress in October 2016 at the insistence of the then chief minister Harish Rawat.

Citing lack of unity among party leaders and failure of the state unit to effectively raise issues against the ill-governance of the Bharatiya Janata Party government, Yashveer claimed the Congress is heading for a repeat 5-zero rout in this election too.  

Congress had lost all the seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

“Factionalism is deep rooted in Congress, there are two parallel groups within the party. I am quite hurt and dejected by this type of politics, which has in fact only strengthened the Bharatiya Janata Party ” said Singh.

He also complained about how Kishore Upadhyay, the former state Congress chief, had been sidelined by the party.

If that is the kind of treatment accorded to a senior party leader, then you can well imagine the state of the party, he said.

Singh dubbed the pro-peasant, pro-Ganga awareness rally carried out by Rawat in Haridwar two months ago as a mere formality, adding that people of Haridwar has high expectations from parliamentarians.

“I will decide my future political course in a day or two after consulting all my well wishers,” said Singh.

“Now I can effectively raise issues of the peasant community neglected by both BJP and Congress “he added.

When contacted, Congress district president Sanjay Aggarwal said Singh joined the Congress with the hope of getting a party ticket.

“He lost badly in the 2017 elections, and now his base among the Gujjar community is also eroding. We don’t have much to worry about his exit “said Aggarwal.

First Published: Mar 19, 2019 15:47 IST