Kabil Sibal Says He Is Ex Congress, To Run Again For Rajya Sabha

Former Union Minister Kapil Sibal today revealed that he has resigned from the Congress, dropping a bombshell moments after filing his nomination papers for Rajya Sabha as an independent candidate supported by the Samajwadi Party.
"I had resigned from the Congress party on May 16," Kapil Sibal told reporters, slipping in information that had stayed concealed since the Congress "Chintan Shivir" or strategy meet a week ago.

"I am no longer a serious Congress leader," he quipped, when bombarded with questions.

This is the latest high-profile exit from the Congress, the fifth in five months. Mr Sibal resigned a day after the Congress brainstorming session held to discuss a roadmap for the party's revival after a series of devastating election defeats. He had been left out of the big meet and was no longer a part of the Congress' advisory groups.

"I have filed my papers as an independent candidate. It is important to be an independent voice in parliament. If an independent voice speaks up then people will believe it is not linked to any political party," Mr Sibal said.

Like most exits from India's oldest party, this one is not a surprise.

Mr Sibal, an ace lawyer who has represented politicians across the spectrum and once among the senior most leaders of the Congress, was the driving force behind the "G-23" or group of 23 dissenters who had called for a complete overhaul of the party's leadership and organization in a letter to party president Sonia Gandhi two years ago.

He has been vocal and increasingly sharp in his criticism of the Gandhis' leadership, especially Rahul Gandhi.

His Rajya Sabha term ends in July. In 2016, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh as a Congress candidate supported by the Samajwadi Party, which is in power in the state. The Congress now has just two MLAs in the UP assembly so it cannot elect anybody to the Rajya Sabha from the state.

Mr Sibal filed his nomination papers in the presence of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

The Samajwadi Party's move to support Mr Sibal is seen to a quid pro quo after his efforts as party MP Azam Khan's lawyer.

Mr Sibal had represented Azam Khan in the Supreme Court. Azam Khan was released on interim bail by the Supreme Court after two years in prison.