‘Feel betrayed’: Former India hockey captain Prabodh Tirkey on quitting Congress

Bhubaneswar, April 21

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Former Indian hockey captain Prabodh Tirkey, who resigned from the Congress after being dropped as a candidate, on Sunday said the party betrayed him.

Speaking to PTI, he said the Congress insulted him by withdrawing his candidature without informing him of the reason behind it.

The party replaced Tirkey with Debendra Bhitaria in the Talsara Assembly seat in the Sundergarh district. “I feel betrayed by the Congress leadership. They have betrayed my trust,” Tirkey said.

“It was an insult to me as the party withdrew my candidature without informing me the reason behind it,” he said, maintaining that the news was a shock for him and his supporters.

Tirkey, who joined the Congress in September last year, quitted the party on Saturday.

He said he called state Congress president Sarat Pattnayak, the party’s in-charge for Odisha Ajoy Kumar and senior leader Bijay Patnaik, but “they are not taking my calls”.

Tirkey said he would take a decision on his next course of action after consulting his followers.

Asked if he would join the BJD or BJP, he said, “All the major parties have announced the names of their candidates. The only option left for me is to contest as an Independent candidate. I have not taken any decision.”

State Congress leaders could not be reached for comment.