'Merit, loyalty not rewarded, I see Cong's doom'

Ravi Raja, 64, was a prominent Congress leader who was elected to the BMC continuously for five terms. Raja recently sent shockwaves by ending his 44-year association with the Congress and joining the BJP.

- Ravi Raja

Ravi Raja, 64, was a prominent Congress leader who was elected to the BMC continuously for five terms. Raja recently sent shockwaves by ending his 44-year association with the Congress and joining the BJP. He spoke to S Balakrishnan about his sudden political move and related issues. Excerpts:

Q. It is said that you quit the Congress only because you were not given a ticket to contest the election. You wanted to contest from the Sion-Koliwada constituency.

A. The Congress did not consider merit. I was loyal to the party for 44 years and was the leader of the opposition in the BMC until recently. Even during Covid, I was taking up issues against Shiv Sena (UBT). In certain cases, contracts were given by the BMC to Sena (UBT) leaders. I took up these issues because I was concerned about the people of Mumbai.