Activist Hardik Patel on Wednesday announced his resignation from the Congress party, months ahead of the Gujarat Assembly election. The step would enable him to carry out “positive work” in Gujarat, he said.

“Today, in an act of courage, I am resigning from my post and primary membership in the Congress party,” he said on Twitter. “I am certain that each of my supporters and the people of Gujarat will welcome my decision.”

Patel was the working president of the Congress’ Gujarat unit. Assembly elections in the western state are likely to be held towards the end of this year.

Congress has been working against the interests of society and the country, said Patel, in his resignation letter addressed to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. The party leaders at the central and state level were only interested in opposing any steps taken by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, the 28-year-old Patidar leader alleged.

He also praised the Modi government, saying, “Be it the Ram mandir in Ayodhya, revocation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, implementation of GST [Goods and Services Tax] – India wanted solutions for these subjects for a long time and Congress only played the role of a roadblock and was always only obstructive.”

He said the Congress has failed to put out a basic roadmap and therefore has been rejected by voters in almost every state.

Patel accused the senior leadership of the Congress of lacking seriousness and being unwilling to listen to the problems of Gujarat’s residents. “Whenever our country faced challenges and when the Congress needed leadership, Congress leaders were enjoying abroad,” he remarked.

He said while party workers travel long distances to meet the state’s residents, senior leaders are more focused “on ensuring that chicken sandwich for leaders who have come from Delhi is delivered on time”, according to The Indian Express.

The Patidar leader said that when persons like him wanted to do something good for the state, they faced “ridicule and contempt” in Congress. “When I joined the Congress, I did not know that the hearts and minds of the leadership of the Congress are filled with such hatred towards our country India, towards my community and especially towards the youth,” he said.

Patel also said that the Gujarat Congress leadership has weakened the party and diluted matters of public importance for personal gains.

“Political thoughts can be different but this kind of sell-out by our leaders for so many years is a betrayal of the people of Gujarat,” he added.

Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil said that Patel’s allegations against the party had been written down for him by the Bharatiya Janata Party, ANI reported.

“We have internal democracy,” Gohil said. “There is a thin line between internal democracy and indiscipline. Bharatiya Janata Party doesn’t have internal democracy.”

Raghu Sharma, who is in charge of the party’s Gujarat desk, accused Patel of engaging in “dishonest politics” and conducting “back door dealings” with other parties.

“He [Hardik Patel] was in touch with the BJP for the last six years to withdraw the cases against him,” Sharma said, according to PTI. He added that Patel lacks the discipline to survive in any political system and described him as an opportunist.

On May 2, Patel had dropped the name of the party and his designation from his Twitter profile, in an indication that he may have decided to leave the party.

On April 22, he had praised the Bharatiya Janata Party for its “terrific decision-taking” leadership and said that he has all his options are open. However, he denied that he was joining the saffron party.