Home India Politics Sharief withdraws resignation after Sonia’s assurance

Sharief withdraws resignation after Sonia’s assurance

By IANS,

New Delhi/Bangalore : Senior Congress leader from Karnataka C.K. Jaffer Sharief Sunday withdrew his resignation from the party after its president Sonia Gandhi assured him that his grievances over the selection of candidates for the assembly polls in the state would be looked into.

“The meeting with Sonia Gandhi was quite satisfactory. She assured me she will look into the issues I have raised. I will continue to work for the party,” Sharief told reporters in New Delhi.

“I am satisfied with the talks and I entirely agree with Sonia Gandhi’s view that the Congress in Karnataka must stay united to defeat communal forces in the elections,” Sharief told reporters after the meeting.

He said he will continue to be in the party and work to defeat “communal forces” in the polls.

Sharief had faxed a letter to Gandhi Friday listing his complaints against the state party leadership which, he said, was not taking into consideration his views during the ticket distribution.

The former railways minister and six times Lok Sabha member was said to be upset because one of his grandsons was not chosen to contest from a Bangalore city constituency. Sharief’s son-in-law has been picked to contest from a north Karnataka seat.

Congress sources in Bangalore say Sharief was more upset because former minister and another minority leader Roshan Baig has been selected to contest from the Shivajinagar constituency, which Sharief considers his stronghold.

Shivajinagar goes to polls May 10 along with 88 other constituencies in the first phase of the elections.

Sharief is chairperson of the Congress manifesto committee. The manifesto is scheduled to be released Monday.