Congress leader quits party over choice of Dhanbad candidate
Chaubey, a former leader of the Congress-affiliated trade union, Indian National Trade Union Congress, termed Anupama Singh as “a pilot candidate who has been brought in from outside Dhanbad”.
Jharkhand Congress Working Committee member and senior leader Lalan Chaubey resigned from the party membership along with a large number of party workers on Friday, terming the party’s decision to field Anupama from Dhanbad constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as “tactically detrimental”.
Scores of party workers also carried out a massive demonstration in the Gaderia area of Katras, demanding the allotment of a ticket to a local leader.
Chaubey, a former leader of the Congress-affiliated trade union, Indian National Trade Union Congress, termed Anupama Singh as “a pilot candidate who has been brought in from outside Dhanbad”.
He also levelled serious charges of corruption against her husband, Jaymangal Singh alias Anup Singh, and her deceased father-in-law, late Rajendra Prasad Singh.
“Anupama Singh has been a homemaker and has no political experience,” said Chaubey during a press conference in Jharia on Friday.
He accused her husband, MLA Jaymangal Singh alias Anup Singh, of carrying out illegal income of more than ₹1 crore per day in the name of trade union politics.
“He purchased the ticket for his wife by dishing out ₹200 crore and he has previously tried to pull down the Jharkhand Government by hobnobbing with the Assam chief minister,” charged Chaubey, adding that the names of over a dozen potential candidates were sent but Anup managed to purchase the ticket.
He also accused the late Rajendra Singh, father-in-law of Anupama Singh, of corruption and said, “She was involved in the illegal coal trade in association with Maoists of Jharkhand to the tune of ₹1000 crore, and a case has been lodged against him in this regard, for which he had to take bail in 2016.” He also charged that his name appeared in the loan scam during his ministerial ship in the erstwhile United Bihar.
Meanwhile, the agitated party workers, who carried out slogans shouting against the state president of the party, Rajesh Thakur, accusing him of “selling the ticket to an outsider candidate by hobnobbing with the AICC in charge of the state, Gulam Ahmad Mir”, held placards and slogans near the Sri Sri Hari Mandir of Gaderia, demanding the allotment of a ticket to a local candidate by revoking its previous allotment of a ticket to Anupama Singh.
Speaking to the media at the demonstration site, Md Farid Ansari, a party worker of Gaderia, said, “The majority of people in Gaderia are Congress supporters, since generations, and given the anti-incumbency factor in Dhanbad for BJP, we were expecting the allotment of the ticket to a strong local candidate to capitalize on the weak point of BJP. But we are greatly dismayed by the party’s decision to allot the ticket to an outsider candidate, Anupama Singh, who has no political experience at all, and also her family members, including her father-in-law, Late Rajendra Prasad Singh, and husband Anup Singh, represent Bermo Assembly Constituency, which falls under the Giridih parliamentary constituency.”
“If the party fails to revert its decision, then all of us will resign from the party, and around 3,000 voters of the Gaderia area will choose the option of NOTA instead of voting for Anupama Singh, as she will lose the election due to a lack of any base in Dhanbad,” said another protester, Aarti Devi.
Responding to the protest, Brajendra Prasad Singh, state disciplinary committee president, said, “Though many leaders were eyeing the party ticket from Dhanbad, as the party has finally decided to allot the ticket to Anupama Singh, the responsibility of supporting the official candidate of the party lies with all. I will request everyone to reconsider their decision to resign from the party, and all disputes can be settled through talks.”
Rajesh Thakur, state Congress president, said, “The charges of being an outsider levelled against any candidate are meaningless for a national party like Congress, as anyone can contest from any place. Once the party leadership chooses a candidate, everybody should support him instead of indulging in mudslinging against each other,” said Thakur.
“While one’s emotions may be attached to anyone, but while looking at the face of Rahul Gandhi and keeping in mind the larger objective of defeating BJP, everybody should support the candidate chosen by the central leadership of the party.”
Efforts to contact Anupama Singh and her husband Anup Singh failed.
