Even as the resignation of senior Congress leader and former Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad from the party created ripples in the political circles, yet another veteran leader resigned from the party on Saturday.
He is former Rajya Sabha member Mohammad Ali Akhan or M A Khan, one of the senior most leaders of the party in Telangana, who played a major role in building up the party in combined Andhra Pradesh.
Khan, who hails from Nizamabad district, put in his papers on Saturday, saying that he was resigning form the primary membership of the party.
A prominent Muslim face of the party in Telangana, he had been a member of Rajya Sabha for two terms and had served as the party’s whip in the upper house for 10 years.
He was one of the "Group of 23" leaders who raised their voice against the style of functioning of the Congress high command and suggested to the party that the only way forward for the grand old party is to adopt a model of collective and inclusive leadership and decision-making at all levels.
The G-24 led by Azad had urged the Congress leadership to initiate talks with like-minded forces to create a way for a credible alternative to the ruling BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
In his letter to Sonia Gandhi on Saturday, Khan said he had been associated with the party for over four decades right from his student days and had established a solid vote bank for the party among the Muslims.
“However, of late, the Congress has lost contact with not only the people, but also the party cadre completely. The party high command has been ignoring the advices of the seniors who have been striving to resurrect he party and was going by the directions given by the coterie,” he regretted.
“In these circumstances, I have no other option but to resign from the party and look for alternative options,” he added.
In 2021, Khan was terribly upset when he was made the vice-chairman of PCC disciplinary committee headed by former minister G Chinna Reddy.
He refused to accept the post saying it would not be appropriate for him to accept the offer as he had served top positions in the party,” he said.