A day after quitting the Congress party and joining the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, former Union minister and South Mumbai MP Milind Deora remains bitter with his former party with which his family had a 55-year-long relationship. In an interview with The Indian Express, Deora, 47, who had been once part of Rahul Gandhi’s “young brigade”, claims that the grand old party has lost its way and become “unrecognisable” now. Excerpts:

Q: Did anyone from the Congress leadership call you in order to stop you from quitting the party? No. Nobody. The only call I received was from a senior party leader whom I am not going to name. He requested me not to do it on the day of the launch of (Rahul Gandhi’s) Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. It was simply ridiculous. It only reinforced my belief that I was doing the right thing.

Q: Did you expect any communication from Rahul Gandhi, since you were known as a member of Team Rahul in the past? Again, I don’t want to get into specifics. I had clearly told different section of Congress leaders that I was not happy with the way things were going and party was surrendering in front of the allies. The Family (Gandhi family) had no interest in wanting to do this (Maha Vikas Aghadi ) alliance in the first place (in 2019) and I know Congress leaders’ feeling against the UBT (Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction).

Q: Don’t you think it is a contradiction to join a party (Shinde Sena) against which you had reservations? My whole politics is about wanting to serve and to do something good for the city (Mumbai) and the country. I am not in the politics of abusing people, and opposing for the sake of it. I have always given constructive suggestions, regardless of who is in power. I cannot continue to be in a system that has lost the ability to formulate constructive policies and where the only agenda is to oppose. This is not the party (Congress) where I joined in. I always hoped against hope that there would be some course correction along the way. I think, I also failed to convince the leadership to move towards a constructive agenda which will help improve its image… (so that) people will also take it more seriously as an Opposition. I tried to convince, but I could not.

Q: What is wrong in an Opposition party criticising the ruling side? You should, but you have to be constructive and cannot be blindly critical. We can be critical during elections, which is once in five years. I don’t think voters appreciate continuous criticism. They want a party that gives suggestions as well.

Q: When did you take the final decision to quit the party? When an alliance (of the Congress) with Sena UBT moved from post-poll to pre-poll, we did not oppose it initially. We were following leadership’s directives despite different opinions. But when you surrender to an ally who do not trust and respect, then it raises a serious concern.

Q: Were you told clearly that you won’t be fielded from Mumbai South in 2024 polls? No. But I was not given a clear path ahead. It is not about ticket only. I was raising the issue on behalf of the party organisation. Because Delhi leadership’s view was that the UBT was eating us up by becoming something like AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) or TMC ( Trinamool Congress) in our state (Maharashtra). I said, Yes! You are right. That is UBT’s ultimate aim. If Delhi thought this, then I said that we should be smart while negotiating. Who are they to tell us to start from zero? They do not have their house in order.

But our surrender shows that the party as an organisation has lost its path. I don’t want to be critical of one person. But it has lost touch with reality, cultural sensitivity and economic aspirations of the people. To me, it has become unrecognisable. When the organisation (Congress) was unable to stake its claim (over Mumbai Lok Sabha seats) and negotiate at least on par with its ally that it does not trust, then I thought to work with someone else who sees me as a valuable asset and is giving me the confidence that they want someone like me to come in and help them. It was a tough decision.

Q: Was BJP ever an option for you, instead of Eknath Shinde-led Sena? I have had many options in the past. People have approached me in the past — many parties, including allies of Congress. Even Sena UBT in the past had approached me. I rejected all of them. But when you don’t see your purpose being fulfilled, you have to move on with your life. CM Shinde was very gracious and clear about what he wanted from me, which he said in his speech as well.

Q: Will more Congress leaders follow your example? I didn’t want to do it as some big operation. There are lot of people in the state and in the country who feel disgruntled and feel that the (Congress) party has lost its track. I have spoken to at least dozen senior people in past 24 hours who were extremely praiseworthy of my decision. I am not planning or scheming for more to follow. But let’s wait for the future.

Q: Will you be the Shiv Sena candidate from Mumbai South in the Lok Sabha polls? I am not thinking about it right now. We have not had any conversation about it. The (ruling) alliance will decide about it and it cannot be decided unilaterally.

Q: Are you visiting Davos with CM Shinde? This would not be for the first time if I go. But I don’t know if I will go. Even if I go, it will be in private capacity. It is everyone’s right to go. I may go.