Mumbai: Actor-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar on Tuesday announced her resignation from the Congress within six months of joining it due to “petty house politics”.
Matondkar’s announcement, which secured 2,41,431 votes on the Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat, has come as a major embarrassment for the Congress, which is struggling to keep its flock together ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections to be held next month . .
Matondkar, who joined Congress in March this year, was defeated in the election by veteran BJP leader Gopal Shetty.
In a statement, Matondkar observed that the key functionaries of the Mumbai Congress are either unable to or are not committed to transforming the party.
“I have resigned from the Indian National Congress. My political and social sensibilities refuse to allow vested interests in the party to use me as a mean to fight petty in-house politics instead of working on a bigger goal in Mumbai Congress,” she said.
Matondkar said the first thought of resignation came to her mind when she realised that “no action” was being taken despite her “repeated efforts” on her letter dated May 16 addressed to the then Mumbai Congress president Milind Deora.
In her letter, Matondkar had criticised the conduct of Sandesh Kondvilkar and Bhushan Patil, close associates of Sanjay Nirupam, a former Mumbai Congress president.
“Thereafter, to my utter dismay, the letter containing privileged and confidential communication was conveniently leaked to the media, which according to me was an act of a blatant betrayal.
“Needless to say, no one from the party was apologetic or even concerned towards me for the same despite my repeated protests,” she said.
Matondkar claimed some of the persons named in her letter for the “shoddy performance” of the Congress in the Mumbai North contest were “rewarded with newer positions” instead of fixing responsibilities.
“It is clear whether the Mumbai Congress chief is unable to bring changes and changes in the organization for the betterment of the party,” he said.
Matondkar’s statement is mum on his next political move.
However, she said she stood by her “thoughts and ideologies” and will continue to work “with honesty and respect” for the people.
