Congress senior leader Akhilesh Das blamed the “coterie” around Rahul Gandhi making a dramatic move in the house on Tuesday and quit from the party as well as the Rajya Sabha handing over his resignation letter to the chairman Hamid Ansari.

Das, who was recently dropped from the Union Council of Ministers, represented Uttar Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha and was the minister of state for steel before last month’s Cabinet reshuffle.

“I have no faith in the Congress party,” he said in the House, taking everybody by surprise. Later, he told reporters outside Parliament that he had also sent his resignation letter to party president Sonia Gandhi and was feeling “relaxed and relieved now.”

Das alleged that “all the decisions in the party are being taken by the coterie and it is the coterie that is deciding the fate of Congress party and nation.”

Attacking Rahul Gandhi, he said, “There was a coterie surrounding the yuvraj (prince) and if the coterie was not happy with somebody, then that person had to suffer.”

Clarifying his action, Das said, “I believe there is a caucus which is doing all this. There is a power coterie. It has surrounded Rahulji and it is unfortunate that only the coterie has access to him.”

“There is a power coterie within and there is an unconstitutional power coterie. They don’t have any knowledge and they are not Congressmen and they are all surrounding the yuvraj (Rahul Gandhi) of the Congress party,” added Das.

Pointing to Rahul, he said, “He is in charge of the country… He is only the general secretary of the Youth Congress and National Students Union of India, but he is controlling the entire Congress party and he is controlling the entire nation. If he is not happy with you and his coterie is not happy with you, you cannot be in the party; you cannot be welcomed in the party.”

“They don’t have courage, but I can say that…. I am a democratic man, I am not a member of a coterie.” said Das.

On his future course of action, he said he would decide it after consulting his supporters in Lucknow.

Das said Uttar Pradesh has always been at the centre of Congress politics, but now the state too is being viewed through the “vision of this coterie”. Das also questioned the appointment of Rita Bahuguna Joshi as the president of the party’s state unit, describing her as a “daughter” of Uttaranchal.

Inflation issue was also raised by Das attacking the government for its “inability” to control rising prices.