Why Zeeshan Siddique's continuance as Mumbai Youth Congress had become untenable?

New Delhi: The sacking of former Mumbai Youth Congress chief Zeeshan Siddique had been on the cards for a long time.

According to sources, Zeeshan was more interested in "Page 3 events" and not in the functioning of the Youth Congress.

Zeeshan's father Baba Siddique is known for hosting famous Iftar parties that are attended by the who's who of Bollywood.

Earlier this month, Baba Siddique quit the Congress after 48 years to join the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of Ajit Pawar.

The sources said Zeeshan would not take the calls of the in-charge office bearers for months and had been inactive for over a year now.

He was even reprimanded by the leadership for that.

It is alleged that he was in the "red zone" (loosely translated as inefficient office bearers) of the organisation's internal assessment report card.

Zeeshan had not held any meeting of the Mumbai Youth Congress for over a year, the source added.

Soon after his father resigned from the party, he removed the Congress flag and pictures of Rahul Gandhi and other leaders from his office.

The sources also countered his allegations that Muslims have to face injustice in Congress.

"His father is a three-term legislator. Who gave his father the ticket to contest elections? Who made his father a minister in Maharashtra? Who gave a ticket to Zeeshan and made him the Mumbai Youth Congress president in 2021. Where is the discrimination?" a Congress leader said.

Regarding the allegation that he was asked to shed 10 kg of weight before meeting Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader quoted above said that he could be seen with the former party chief on many occasions and even walked with him during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and pictures of the same are available on the internet.

A Congress functionary said Zeeshan would have quit the party the same day his father resigned but he was waiting for the Rajya Sabha elections on February 27.

"He would have cross-voted and provoked the leadership to expel him and thus retain his membership. But the Rajya Sabha elections are already decided and he hasn't been expelled so far. That means he continues to be a Congress legislator and is bound by the party whip. If he violates that, he will get disqualified," the functionary added.

Zeeshan has been replaced by Akhilesh Yadav, who has risen through ranks.

Yadav joined the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the Congress party's students wing, in 2007 and became the college unit president.

In 2011, he became NSUI national secretary and in 2017 he was elevated as the state general secretary of the Mumbai Youth Congress.

In 2020, he became the national secretary of the Youth Congress and was first given the charge of Goa and later Madhya Pradesh.

Yadav made a mark in both the states and earned accolades of leadership. He was finally rewarded with the stewardship of the Mumbai Youth Congress.

With his appointment, the Congress has sought to reach out to over 40 lakh people from North India in Mumbai.