On May 24, 2023, Congress leader Dr. Ashishrao R. Deshmukh (former MLA, Nagpur, Maharashtra) received a letter by the Chairman of Disciplinary Committee of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee Shri. Prithviraj Chavan stating that he is being expelled from the Congress party. If one statement of Mr. Rahulji Gandhi is insulting the entire OBC community and because of it the entire OBC community has been hurt, then for the sake of Congress party, Rahulji should apologize to the OBC community which is 54% of the total population of India and end the matter here. In case of unhappiness of the OBC society, the party will face difficulty in the form of votes. Due to such correct suggestion, Dr. Ashishrao R. Deshmukh has been expelled from the Congress party for 6 years. Dr. Ashishrao R. Deshmukh gave his reaction on his expulsion from the Congress party.
Dr. Ashishrao R. Deshmukh said, “The eviction decision is completely wrong. This action shows that the leadership of the Maharashtra Congress is in the hands of the wrong people. Congress leaders expelled me from the party for raising my voice for the welfare of OBCs. They gave me a show cause notice. I had replied it in detail. Media from all over the country including Maharashtra published my reply in detail. There was some truth in it that is why it got so much fame. However, my reply is not satisfactory to the Congress leaders in Maharashtra, which is the only reason they have shown for expulsion. It can also be inferred that it was already decided to expel me from the party and the notice was given later. Congress contributed to the freedom of the country. Congress leaders sacrificed for democracy, unity of India. However, Congress leaders in Maharashtra do not believe in freedom and democracy. What they don’t like, they get rid of. Many Congress leaders in Maharashtra (who call themselves OBCs) were having trouble because I was raising my voice on the issues of OBCs.
These shopkeeper leaders thought that if Ashish Deshmukh’s weight in the party increased, their weight would decrease. They still haven’t explained what my crime is. I suggested that Mr. Rahul Gandhi should apologize to the OBC community. If Congress is a democratic party then this suggestion is democratic. Congress leaders in Maharashtra seem to be in a hurry to prove that their party is not democratic.
It is true that my father is in Congress party. He held the posts of state president and minister. So it was natural for me to lean towards that party. But when I realized that people who use their brain and voice do not work in Congress, I left the party. In 2014, contested election from BJP and won. But, interest in Congress was not over. So I came back to Congress after talking to Rahulji and Soniaji. I am the only one who quit from MLA post for Congress. I told them on my return to the party that I want to work for OBCs and they said, you can do it by staying in Congress. But, the leaders of Maharashtra did not take into consideration the sentiments of the topmost or even the issues that are essential for the future of the Congress party.
When I returned to the Congress party, I was consistently sidelined. In Congress, the established leaders of the OBC community have become like upper classes. They are more concerned with votes of OBCs than dealing with real issues of OBCs. However, the OBC people have recognized the Congress’ ambition. The OBC voters who were once the base of the Congress have drifted away from the Congress, which is the main reason for the decline of the Congress. However, Congress leaders are not ready to take any lesson from this. In future I want to work on the issues of OBCs, farmers and youth. It has not been decided which party to join. Everyone will know in due time. Don’t be in a hurry to interpret that because I went to a leader or someone came to me, I will join their side. Even beyond politics, there are relationships that need to be nurtured. Many people in politics have a way of maintaining friendship even by criticizing each other. Unfortunately, there is no such sympathy among Congress leaders in Maharashtra. They don’t like criticism. They also don’t like it if I raise my voice on the issues of OBCs. They also don’t like it if I raise a point in a democratic way. In short, they don’t like Ashish Deshmukh. Because they know that Ashish Deshmukh is the true representative of OBCs and they also know that he can overcome us.
I don’t think there is any point in appealing to the Congress leaders in Delhi against this action. They too have been misled by Congress leaders from Maharashtra. It is sad that the Congress, with the support of the OBC community, which ruled this country for more than six decades, now has no commitment to the OBCs. Congress leaders are forgetting a historical fact. Rahul Gandhi has recently been accused of insulting the OBC community. The then Prime Minister V. P. Singh who tried to implement the recommendations of the Mandal Commission was opposed by Rahulji’s father Rajiv Gandhi. This is an incident around 1990. Congress’s OBC base declined rapidly since then.
And today the condition of that Congress party has become miserable. By apologizing to the OBC community, Rahulji could have ended the fresh issue and the historical mistake of his father could have been corrected to some extent. Breaking ties with the OBC community is like breaking ties with the soul of India. That is why the retreat of Congress continues. I felt that Congress should re-establish relations with its core base. So if I suggested Rahul ji to apologize to OBCs, I was expelled from the party. The break with the OBC community eclipsed the power of the Congress. Since then the situation has changed to such an extent that the Congress has hardly any presence at the Center and in many states as the opposition. Because the Congress has been replaced by regional parties.”
