Savitri Bai Phule resigns from Congress, says 'will form own party'

Former BJP lawmaker Savitri Bai Phule, who had joined Congress earlier this year, on Thursday tendered her resignation by asserting that her voice is not being heard in the party-fold and said that she will form her own party.

"My voice is not being heard in Congress and hence I am resigning. I will form my own party," Phule said. She said that there is no difference between the BJP and Congress.

"When I pleaded to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi to let me protest against the violation of the Constitution and use of EVM machines, she said that it was her government who had brought the idea of EVM and that I cannot protest against it," the political leader said.

Showing her resignation letter, she asserted that the agenda of her new party will be "Bahujan Hitaye, Bahujan Sukhaye". She also blamed the RSS for creating inequality in society.

"Our constitution and reservation are in danger. I have always been protesting against the use of EVM machines. I believe that they should be replaced by paper ballots," Phule added.

She had joined Congress in March this year in the presence of party leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Phule started her career in Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) but later joined the BJP. She was elected from the Baharaich Lok Sabha constituency in 2014 elections from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seat.

On December 6 last year, Phule had resigned from the BJP accusing of it "dividing the society and not doing enough on the issue of reservation".