AMN
Former Chief Minister of Odisha and nine-time Lok Sabha member Giridhar Gamang resigned from the Congress party today. He was also Union Minister for 11 years in the Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and PV Narasimha Rao governments.T a press conference in Bhubaneswar, the veteran Congress leader blamed Congress leadership for not defending him for his single vote against the confidence motion that caused the fall of the Atal Behari Vajpayee government in 1999. Gamang also said he will not rejoin the Congress party and if any other party comes up with a proposal, he will consider joining it.
In his resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, he said he had been humiliated in public for this since 1999. He said neither the Congress party nor the party leaders had come out with the truth and protected him from public criticism for exercising his constitutional right. He said his 43 years’ loyalty to the party has turned into a liability for the party
In 1999, he voted against the Vajpayee government as Member of Parliament from Koraput. He was widely criticised for casting his vote against the confidence motion moved by then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, which was defeated by 269 to 270 votes.