Ashish Deshmukh with wife Ayushree (Photo by: Bhavesh Mahalle)

Congress leader Ashish Deshmukh tendered his resignation as the General Secretary of MPCC to party Chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday, May 31.

Deshmukh said that the decision to resign was taken after the Congress nominated Imran Pratapgarhi from Maharashtra as Rajya Sabha candidate. Deshmukh said that although he has resigned from the post, he would remain in the party and continue to work for the same. 

The list of Rajya Sabha candidates by Congress that stirred massive resent in the ranks, shortlisted 34-year-old Pratapgarhi – Congress minority department chairperson and a poet from Maharashtra. He had contested the Lok Sabha polls from Moradabad on a Congress ticket but lost his seat to a BJP candidate.

Political bigwigs gathered under one roof on May 29 to extend their wishes to veteran politician and former minister Ranjeet Deshmukh at ‘Amrut Mahotsav’ organised at Suresh Bhat auditorium in Nagpur to celebrate Deshmukh’s 75^th birthday. Deshmukh turned 75 last year but celebrations could not be held due to the COVID pandemic.

Lok Sabha MP Shatrughan Sinha, former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan, Maharashtra minister Balasaheb Thorat and other politicians were prominently present during the event. Deshmukh’s son Ashish Deshmukh and Dr Amol Deshmukh played perfect hosts to those who attended the event.

Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray said there was a wave of andh bhakts (a term colloquially used for blind illogical followers) at the moment and people shouldn’t become andh bhakts.

Thackeray said the same while virtually releasing state cabinet minister Dr Nitin Raut’s book ‘Ambedkar on Population Policy’ on Sunday from Mumbai.

Thackeray said, “Babasaheb Ambedkar’s thoughts guide us and show us the way forward. He not only framed the Constitution but also told us the obstacles that may come up and how to overcome them. The true follower will understand the teaching of his God and spread it to all. The blind follower will only praise superficially and then sometimes change his affection.”

Raut, who was praised by Thackeray for coming up with a ‘well-researched’ book, said the government in the state should implement suggestions given by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and initiate welfare programmes based on them.