Economist Swarnim Wagle has quit Nepali Congress (NC).
Wagle has texted NC leader Shekhar Koirala, General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma and others, and told them that he is no longer with the grand old party led by Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife Arzu.
"Dear seniors, I can no longer remain in Congress despite the good wishes of you all. This situation has been brought by continuous humiliation and bullying from the Deuba-Arzu gang," Wagle's message states.
"I wish to go for the experiment of delivery setting a timeframe and remaining relevant to my age, knowledge and energy instead of waiting in the lifelong politics of favor and kindness. We would meet respectfully later as you all definitely would have told me to not quit Congress had I met you before taking this decision, and quitting after that would have been defiance."
He has kept the doors open for a return to the party if the texted NC leaders get to lead the party. "I hope that we can again come together in some form on the day you all build a decisive status inside Congress. I vow to cooperate and help, and continue the current cordial friendship wherever we remain until then."
Wagle, who was appointed National Planning Commission vice-chair by Deuba in the past, was also involved in drafting NC’s manifesto for the recent elections.
He had applied for ticket from the House of Representatives (HoR) constituency of Chitwan-1 but Deuba did not grant him a ticket despite the local unit of NC recommending his name as a candidate.
He is reportedly considering to contest by-election from Tanahu-1, vacant after NC’s Ram Chandra Paudel was elected president, on ticket of Rastriya Swatantra Party.
