Dr Ashwani Kumar, senior Congress leader and former Union Law Minister, resigned from the party on Tuesday after a 46-year-long association.

In a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, he wrote, “Having given my thoughtful consideration to the matter, I have concluded that in the present circumstances and consistent with my dignity, I can best subserve larger national cause outside the party fold,” reported news agencies.

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Kumar severed as the Minister of Law and Justice from October 2012 to May 2013.

The 69-year-old hopes to “proactively pursue public causes inspired by the idea of a transformative leadership, based on the dignitarian promise of a liberal democracy envisioned by our freedom parties”, the letter stated.

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He has served as one of the youngest Additional Solicitor General of India and held several portfolios in the last government, including the ministry of law, of state and planning, of science and technology, and of earth sciences. He has also been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2002.

The resignation comes in the midst of assembly polls in five states, namely Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur, and Punjab. Counting for the elections is scheduled for March 10. 

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His move follows close on the heels of a spate of resignations, the most recent being that of another former union minister R P N Singh, according to news agency PTI.

Speaking to The Indian Express soon after his resignation, Kumar said the “internal processes of the Congress diminished individual leaders which collectively debilitates the party”.

“The continuous decline of the Congress in terms of vote percentage, in terms of popular support clearly shows that the party is out of sync with the way the nation thinks. It is the function of a political party to both gauge the national mood and where necessary to transform it. Can anybody seriously or honestly deny that this has not been the case with the Congress party?” he asked, reported the Indian Express.