Kamat distances himself from 'violent actions' of Cong workers

A day after a scuffle among Congress workers, apparently belonging to two factions in the city unit led by Sanjay Nirupam, senior Congress leader Gurudas Kamat today condemned such "violent actions" and distanced himself from them.
The AICC general secretary also objected to certain media reports which have mentioned the agitating workers as from "Kamat group"
The feud between Kamat and Nirupam over selection of candidates for the February 21 BMC polls is well known. The Congress veteran and former MP had earlier announced his withdrawal from the campaigning in Mumbai.
In a statement issued toady, Kamat said he condemned the violence between Congress workers in the last two days.

The Congress leader stated he had ever encouraged violent actions resorted to by party workers while demonstrating or meeting party leaders to vent their grievances.
He has appealed to the media not to refer to "any and every agitating group as 'Kamat group' as a large number of people have been ventilating their grievances," with whom he has no connection at all.

The simmering tension between factions led by Nirupam and Kamat boiled over yesterday with their supporters engaging in a scuffle in suburban Juhu.
Embarrassingly for Congress, the incident occurred outside the venue where AICC observer and Rahul Gandhi's emissary Bhupinder Singh Hooda was in huddle with the party leaders to resolve differences among various factions ahead of civic polls, slated later this month.

The clash occurred after workers belonging to a faction shoved those belonging to rival group.
Kamat, a former president of Mumbai Congress, had repeatedly expressed his grouse against the "working style" of Nirupam, a former Shiv Sena leader, over distribution of tickets.
He had earlier accused Nirupam of "driving out" the second generation leaders of Congress and blamed his "negative attitude" for exit of former MLA Krishna Hegde and some corporators who have joined BJP.
Nirupam had denied the charges.