Mangalore, October 12: Former Mangalore Mayor K Ashraf, who had played the resignation card for the first time in January, protesting B Janardhan Poojary's “dictatorship”, has now taken a firm decision to bid adieu to the Congress party.
With this, the in-fighting in Dakshina Kannada District Congress committee has spilled out in the open once again, despite repeated patch-up bids.
In a bulk SMS sent to his friends in the media, the first president of the newly formed Mangalore City Block Congress unit, made it clear that he would not remain a Congressman anymore.
“I, K Ashraf, hereby declare my resignation from the basic membership of the Congress party. The decision will be officially announced on October 14 in Mangalore Press Club” stated the short SMS.
It can be mentioned here that Mr Ashraf had expressed frustration over the lack of support from the party leaders and their followers during his crisis times.
He also had blamed the hand of a “few envious Congress leaders of Poojary group” in fixing his “innocent son” in a drug cartel case.
The final blow seems to be the FIR purportedly filed against his son and few others for allegedly threatening a drug victim at Athena Hospital in city.
Mr Ashraf lamented that there are a people in Congress, who are BJP-minded. “They also made life miserable for Lance Lott pinto, the Opposition Leader in MCC”, he said.
“The concerned SI in this case is acting at the behest of certain people”, he said adding that this SI had been creating trouble for him even when he was in Bunder police station.
He said that the assurance given by Mangalore City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh that nothing would happen to him and his son, has proved wrong.
“The party leaders could not protect my interest. How can I protect the interest of the party workers if situation continues like this?” he asked.
The father in Mr Ashraf has made it clear that he wanted to fight his son's case with the support of likeminded people from any organisation.
Mr Ashraf, who had begun his Congress career over two decades ago as a staunch follower of 'Saala Mela' famed party veteran, gradually occupied several posts of responsibility within the party organisation.
He also said that his recent proximity with another Congress heavyweight and former Chief Minister M Veerappa Moily, had been a problem for Poojary and his “chelas”.
Being elected as a member of Mangalore City Corporation for three terms and having served as the mayor for a year, Ashraf was elevated to the responsible post of the president of newly formed Mangalore City Block Congress unit last year.
However, the same elevation ultimately led to his alienation within the party, as Mr Poojary had allegedly humiliated him in front of a huge crowd at a programme organised by the Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee to formally handover the new responsibility to him.
He had been keeping a low profile ever since he was made the office bearer and was not seen any of the party forum in the recent past apparently due to the treatment meted out to him by one group of the party
In the wake of increased enthusiasm in another former Congress leader MG Hegde after joining JD (S), former Mayor's resignation has raised curiosity among the people over his next move.
Meanwhile, Mr Ashraf's BJP counterparts in MCC have also confirmed that the present trouble to the former is fomented by his own party colleagues.
He said that he a got a call from former BJP Mayor Shankar Bhat, who apparently told him that they have not applied any pressure to book case against his son.
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