Nirupam attacks Deora for not attending Rahul's Mumbai rallies

Mumbai Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, who had distanced himself from the party campaign for the Maharashtra assembly polls claiming a "conspiracy" against the leaders close to Rahul Gandhi, on Monday slammed his bete noire Milind Deora over his absence from Gandhi's rallies.

Both Deora and Nirupam, former presidents of Mumbai Congress, had stayed away from Gandhi's rallies in Mumbai on Sunday.

"Speculations and suspicions about my absence from rahul gandhi's mumbai rallies are meaningless. Due to an important family function I was busy the whole day, rather till late night. Had informed him in advance. He is my leader and he will be always the same for me. But why was nikamma absent," Nirupam tweeted in an apparent reference to Deora.

When asked about the tweet, Mumbai Congress president Eknath Gaikwad said he was unaware of the tweet.

On absence of Nirupam and Deora from Gandhi's programmes, Gaikwad said, "Nirupam's daughter got engaged on Sunday while Deora is out of the country".

Meanwhile, sources close to Deora said that party veteran Sushilkumar Shinde, who is a member of the disciplinary committee, has admonished Nirupam for his public statements.

They said Nirupam was told to stay away from meetings of Gandhi and other leaders of the party.

Shinde was unavailable for comment.