‘Timing determined by PM’: Jairam Ramesh reveals last conversation with Milind Deora

The Congress on Sunday alleged that the timing of Milind Deora’s resignation from the party was determined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, terming his concern over the Mumbai South Lok Sabha seat a ‘farce’.

Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in charge of communications, told news agency PTI that Deora had spoken with him over the phone this Friday and wanted to discuss with Rahul Gandhi his concerns regarding the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) laying claim the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat.

Both Milind Deora and his father Murli Deora had served as MPs from Mumbai South, currently held by Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT).

“He messaged me on Friday at 8:52 AM and then at 2:47 PM I replied, ‘Are you planning a switch?’. At 2:48 he sent a message, ‘is speaking to you not possible?’ I said I will call you and at 3:40, I spoke to him,” PTI quoted Ramesh as saying.

“He (Deora) said he is concerned that it is a sitting Shiv Sena seat, he wanted to meet Rahul Gandhi and explain to him about the seat and also wanted me to talk to Mr. Gandhi about it,” the Congress general secretary said.

“Obviously all this was a farce and he had made up his mind to leave. The timing of the announcement of his departure was clearly determined by the PM,” Ramesh alleged.

Deora’s resignation came hours before Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra which is set to commence from strife-torn Manipur at 12 noon.

Ramesh asserted that Deora’s exit would have no impact on the Congress party and said, “One Milind Deora will go, but lakhs of other Milind Deoras would join us. It will not affect our organisation at all.”

He will be joining Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shide-led Shiv Sena along with 10 former corporators, 20 office bearers of the party from South Mumbai and representatives of key business organizations.

Senior Congress leader and former minister Balasaheb Thorat called Deora’s resignation unfortunate.

“The ominous bid by tendering his resignation on the occasion of the launch of the second phase of Bharat Jodo Yatra by Rahul Gandhi was unfortunate and unsuccessful too. His late father Murli Deora, too, would have not liked the attempt to create troubles in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra which has begun to safeguard the interest of the poor and downtrodden,” he said in a social media post on X.