The Leader of Leicester City Conservative Group has resigned after claiming to be the victim of bullying and intimidation within the party.
In a statement announcing his resignation, Cllr Deepak Bajaj states that he can “no longer remain affiliated with a party that condones and perpetuates an environment of violence, racism religious divides, threats and bullying.”
He has quit the Conservative party with immediate effect, and will now serve the Leicester community from the Labour benches.
His resignation comes following events, which are alleged to have taken place in the city’s Dover Street car park, following a meal with party members back on March 18.
It is claimed that Sanjay Modhwadia, councillor for North Evington, used threatening behaviour against Cllr Bajaj after he refused to back his bid to take over as leader of the party on Leicester City.
As a result of the allegations, Cllr Modhwadia has been temporarily suspended from the Conservative Group pending a full investigation. He has been accused of threatening Cllr Bajaj and using ‘aggressive gestures’ such as ‘pointing and prodding’ as they argued on the city car park.
“He told me that if I wasn’t a councillor, he would smash my head in,” Cllr Bajaj alleges. “I was told I should step down as leader of the party. At first it was just conversations and stuff and then it turned into physical violence and threats.
“My mental health has been affected – I’m seeing a mental health councillor and have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety,” he added. “These past few weeks have just been really difficult for me.”
Cllr Modhwadia strongly denies all claims, telling Leicestershire Live that they are “totally, totally false.”
Cllr Bajaj has been a member of the Conservative party since 2022. He previously served 16 years as an elected member of Leicester City Council’s Labour Party, working for the Evington Ward.
During this time, he also served as the Lord Mayor.
He quit the Labour Party in 2022, claiming that it had “lost its way” locally, becoming “detached” from the lives of everyday working class people.
He’s now accusing the Conservative Party of being “more interested in their own psychodrama” and “leaving local people to face the cost of their chaos”.
The Leicester Times attempted to contact Cllr Modhwadia. However, he declined to comment on the allegations.
