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Uttar Pradesh Congress today received another jolt when its minority cell president Tariq Siddiqui quit from the post and the primary membership of the party.
A fortnight back, Congress' Lucknow unit president Neeraj Bora had also left the party against its alleged anti-people policies.
Both these leaders were considered close to Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Congress' candidate from Lucknow's parliamentary seat.
Their successive departure is a setback for the party, which is facing a tough challenge in Lucknow from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh.
Siddiqui was allegedly assaulted by a senior Congress leader in the party's premises on April 19. He was miffed that while no party leader came to his rescue, no action was taken against the aggressor in the matter.
"I was publicly humiliated in the party office and no action was taken. Besides, there was little role to play in Congress for the minorities cell in the election process, which is another reason for my departure," he told Business Standard.
However, he is yet to announce if he was joining another political party, although he is said to have met the Samajwadi Party leaders following the incident. Siddiqui, who had a corporate background, was earlier the UPCC's research cell head.
Earlier, Bora, a prominent city-based businessman, had announced to support Rajnath, although he has yet not joined BJP.
