Mumbai: Congress may expel Sanjay Nirupam for anti-party activities

MUMBAI: Former city Congress president Sanjay Nirupam is likely to be expelled for anti-party activities and indiscipline following a report seeking his expulsion submitted to the party leadership by Mumbai Congress Committee chief Eknath Gaikwad, reports Prafulla Marpakwar.
Nirupam has faulted the handling of Sachin Pilot's rebellion and has been accused of criticising the leadership earlier too. "After the Pilot episode, AICC's instructions are clear-to crack down on indiscipline and anti-party activities. A few leaders who have been tweeting too are on AICC's radar," a party leader said.
Congress presence not felt in Mumbai in 6 months: Nirupam
In the run-up to the 2019 state assembly elections, Nirupam had launched an attack against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, saying there were two groups in the Congress, one a Sonia group and the other led by Rahul. He had also obliquely criticized Ahmed Patel, political adviser to Sonia Gandhi. Nirupam had even announced that he would not campaign for Congress nominees. Subsequently, he criticised the party leadership for forming a government in Maharashtra with the NCP and Shiv Sena.
He recently demanded a probe into purchase of properties near Matoshree by CM Uddhav Thackeray, alleging irregularities and under-valuation. The Sena had lodged a strong protest with state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat over these statements. “We have submitted video and newspaper clippings to the AICC,” another Congress leader said.
In the case of Pilot, Nirupam said if senior leaders quit one by one, no one would be left in the organization and it was high time efforts were made to persuade Pilot to come back to the party fold. Nirupam told TOI on Wednesday, “My view has been clear from day one. It was wrong to form the government with Shiv Sena. The Congress has absolutely no say in the government as it has been taken over by the NCP and Sena. I do not think my recent statements or tweets amount to anti-party activities. In the last six months, Mumbai Congress’s presence has not been felt in the city. In fact, the entire party has been quarantined.”
Nirupam (56) was a journalist before joining Shiv Sena. He was nominated to Rajya Sabha in 1996, but subsequently he quit Sena and joined Congress, which too nominated him to RS. In 2009, he was elected to Lok Sabha from north Mumbai, but he lost to BJP’s Gopal Shetty in 2014 and 2019 polls by a huge margin. He was appointed Mumbai Congress president in March 2017 and resigned in March 2019.