Sivasankar quits Congress

Former union law minister and senior Congress leader P Sivasankar today resigned from the party in protest against the alleged injustice done to backward communities in the allotment of party tickets for the Assembly and Parliament elections.

Sivasankar faxed a five-page letter to AICC president Sonia Gandhi in which he levelled serious allegations of extraneous considerations and groupism in the selection process of candidates.

"So far, only 10-15 per cent of the candidates who belong to majority backward community have been given tickets whereas at least 30 per cent seats should have been allotted to them," he said.

He hoped that the party leadership would at least give more seats to backward castes in the second list.

Denying the reports of his joining the Telugu Desam Party, Sivasankar told the media people that he would decide on his future political course in a couple of days.

While lambasting the state party leaders who took part in the selection process, including the PCC president, Sivasankar pointed out that backward classes and other eligible leaders were being denied tickets in the name of winning chances.