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Ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls scheduled for April 23, former state Mahila Congress president Hazeena Syed resigned from the Congress party on Sunday, April 12, alleging religious discrimination and harassment within the party. The resignation comes two days after Hazeena was expelled as the Mahila Congress president on Friday, April 10.
In her resignation letter, Hazeena claimed she was denied an election ticket because she is a Muslim. She said the decision reflected bias in the party’s selection process and left her feeling humiliated. She added that her “dignity and self-respect” had been hurt, prompting her to step down.
Hazeena also levelled serious allegations against All India Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba, accusing her of harassment and poor leadership. She claimed that the women’s wing of the party was not being run in a fair or transparent manner.
Alka Lamba, in a statement had said on April 10 that Hazeena was expelled from her position with immediate effect on account of her involvement in anti-party activities.
“The decision has been taken after due consideration of the matter and in the interest of maintaining organisational discipline and integrity,” Alka had said. Hours after being sacked from the party, Hazeena stated that she has stepped away from the party that she deeply loved, “but alas it's been one-sided love”.
The resignation comes amid signs of internal discord within the Congress in Tamil Nadu. Hazeena also alleged that there was favouritism in ticket distribution and a lack of respect for certain leaders within the party structure.