'I was expelled after I quit', claims Sanjay Nirupam on his ouster from Congress

Mumbai, April 4 (IANS) Senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on Thursday alleged that he was expelled after he submitted his resignation from the party.

He posted his brief resignation letter of April 3 (Wednesday) on social media, which has a tongue-in-cheek reference to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.

"I have finally decided to fulfill your much-awaited desire and hereby announce that I choose to resign from the primary membership of the All India Congress Committee,” Nirupam said.

"This communication may be considered as my resignation letter. Kindly acknowledge the same," said the letter which he sent Wednesday evening.

Along with the letter, Nirupam took jibes at the Congress saying, "Looks like, immediately after the party received my resignation letter last night, they decided to issue my expulsion. Good to see the such promptness."

Upset at not being nominated for the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat, the journalist-turned-politician had turned rebel and said he would announce his next course of action soon and promised to give a detailed statement on the fracas later in the morning.

Nirupam expressed his ire publicly after the Maha Vikas Aghadi ally Shiv Sena (UBT) had declared the candidature of Amol G. Kirtikar for the seat last week. He had given a severe tongue-lashing to the SS (UBT) and the Congress seat-sharing negotiators.

Nirupam had also launched a vicious veiled attack -- without taking names -- at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, state Chief Patole and Mumbai Chief Varsha Gaikwad, for allegedly falling at the knees of the SS(UBT).

Incidentally, Nirupam is a former two-time Rajya Sabha MP from (undivided) Shiv Sena and an ex-Mumbai North Lok Sabha MP of the Congress.

Sensing his banner of revolt, the state Congress also dropped him from the LS state list of the party's star campaigners on Wednesday.