Kapil Sibal quits Congress and today filed nomination for Rajya Sabha as an independent candidate
New Delhi:
Senior leader Kapil Sibal, who today announced that he has quit his party Congress of 30 years, said that “it is always difficult to move forward, but everyone has to think for themselves”.
Kapil Sibal told NDTV, “I felt it was time for me to move on and become an independent voice in Parliament. I didn’t want to be with any party.”
“It is always difficult when you are with a party for so long and are bound by its ideology. Every person has to think for himself, even if it is time for him to do something different.”
He said that he would work to bring all political parties on a single platform to fight the BJP in the 2024 national election. But is an opposition alliance possible without the Congress?
Sibal replied, “We will try to bring everyone on a common platform. All political parties. Congress is a political party, isn’t it.”
The former Union minister made a surprise announcement today that he had quit the Congress a week ago on May 16, a day after the party’s “chintan camp” or brainstorming meeting to discuss the party’s revival amid a massive electoral defeat and internal crises. was done.
He slipped into the announcement soon after he filed his nomination as an independent candidate for the Rajya Sabha with the support of the Samajwadi Party.
Sibal said, “It was not a sudden decision. I did not want it to be a farce. I am surprised it was not leaked earlier.”
He said, “I thought it is time for me to move on and become an independent voice in Parliament. I met Akhilesh Yadav and told him that I want to be an independent candidate, not a part of any party.”
Mr. Sibal was the driving force behind the “G-23” or group of 23 dissidents who, in a letter to Sonia Gandhi two years ago, called for sweeping organizational and leadership changes in the Congress.
In the past few months, the veteran had become more vocal and acrimonious about the Gandhi family, even saying that “the leadership is in the cuckoo”.
Asked whether his exit with other “dissenters” included in the party panel meant the end of “G-23”, he said: “I’m not in it anymore. Everyone else is my friends and they will remain friends.” , whether they are coded or not.”
He declined to comment on further withdrawals in the future; He is the fifth high profile leader to quit the Congress this year.
On his decision to approach the Samajwadi Party, he said that he “did not want to join the party or any other political party”.
“I told BJP on my dead body and not any other political party.”
He continued: “There is no independent voice in Parliament today. You are always guided by the party leadership. If an MP doesn’t have that option, you are doing an injustice to democracy.”