'Worst criminals look better than some of my colleagues': Jharkhand Congress chief quits

Ranchi, Aug 10: Jharkhand Pradesh Congress chief Ajoy Kumar quit his post on Friday, accusing some colleagues of indulging in corrupt practices and promoting their own interests over the party's and said "worst criminals look better" than them.

In his three-page resignation letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi, Kumar alleged that some workers have placed the interests of their leaders above the party.

He blamed some state party leaders, including former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahai, for his decision to resign from the post.

Besides Sahai, he mentioned Rameshwar Oraon, former MPs - Chandrashekar Dubey and Furqan Ansari - and ex-PCC president Pradeep Balmuchu, and accused them of trying to "grab political posts for personal benefits and have made every attempt to bypass the system that have been put in place for the benefit of the party".

"My zero tolerance for corruption and any form of mediocrity, hampers me from doing my job effectively. Accordingly, please accept this as my formal letter of resignation as the president of the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee," Kumar said.

"I only wish that the Congress party could go back to its original roots and raise the issues that are critically important for the people. It's vital that we have good people in both the opposition and the government. Instead, what are we have now is a long list of rent-seekers. Their only intention is to grab power, sell tickets or collect money in the name of elections. As a proud Indian and one of the youngest winners of the police gallantry award and having wiped the mafia in Jamshedpur, I can confidently say that the worst criminals look better than some of my colleagues," he said in the letter.

Kumar has forwarded copies of the letter to senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel, A K Antony and Mallikarjun Kharge.

The ex-police officer and former Jamshedpur Lok Sabha MP also accused state party colleagues of "creating havoc" in elections after they or their kin were denied tickets.

"The malaise is deep-rooted. Over the last few months, I have faced interference on several fronts. Whether it's an alliance issue, double standards with respect to Congress workers, non-formation of the PCC or continuous pandering to put dishonest people in posts. This has brought me to the unfortunate conclusion that whatever efforts I make are effectively reversed by these unscrupulous elements," he wrote. Every leader in the party supports the alliance that we have carefully stitched together, only as long as his seat is assured. And if he is denied, he creates havoc," Kumar said.

He had good words for some partymen as well who he lauded for having taught him a lot in politics.

"I also consider myself fortunate to have worked with some genuine leaders in the party at the centre. All of them continue to fight for the common man and they have shown me what selfless and decent politicians can achieve over some rapacious senior leaders and their own primitive idea of what modern politics entails. These so-called 'senior leaders' have shown me what politics should not be," he said.

In Ranchi, PCC spokesman Alok Dubey said, now the party leadership has to take a decision on poll-bound Jharkhand.

On May 27, Kumar had tendered resignation letter to the AICC in-charge for Jharkhand- R P N Singh- taking responsibility to the partys debacle in the Lok Sabha seat in the state.

His resignation was rejected then.

The BJP-AJSU party alliance had swept the recently concluded Parliamentary polls in Jharkhand, winning 12 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats while the Congress and the JMM bagged one each.

On August 1, two factions of the PCC had created ruckus near Congress office in Ranchi as the police intervened to disperse the party workers.