Shortly after former Union minister and senior Congress leader Milind Deora’s resignation, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday questioned the timing of the move, and claimed it was determined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Prime Minister has decided this. There is no doubt about that,” Ramesh told ANI when asked about Deora’s resignation from the Congress party on the day when Rahul Gandhi will kick-start his ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’.

Earlier, Ramesh mentioned Milind Deora’s father Murli Deora and stated that the latter remained a stalwart Congressman despite having close friends in all political parties.

“I recall my long years of association with MURLI Deora with great fondness. He had close friends in all political parties, but was a stalwart Congressman who ALWAYS stood by the Congress party — through thick and thin,” the Congress leader wrote on ‘X’.

According to reports, Deora had reached out to Jairam Ramesh and wanted to seek time to meet Rahul Gandhi to explain his position on the South Mumbai Lok Sabha constituency, a key issue being cited behind his exit from the Congress party.

Deora had expressed his displeasure over the South Mumbai constituency, which he considered his traditional seat, reportedly going to Shiv Sena (UBT) as per the seat-sharing arrangement being discussed between the INDIA alliance partners.

Deora was an MP from South Mumbai, winning the constituency twice – in 2004 and 2009. Before him, his father Murli Deora won the constituency in 1984, 1989, 1991 and 1998.

However, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Sawant is the sitting MP from South Mumbai and the Uddhav Thackeray-led party has reportedly claimed the seat during the seat-sharing arrangement talks between the INDIA bloc partners.

This, among other speculated reasons not being publicly disclosed, became the last trigger when Deora decided to parts ways with the Congress.

He announced his resignation from the primary membership of Congress party earlier today, saying the 55 years of his family’s association with the Congress party has come to end.

He is likely to join the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena later today.