Roberto Castelli let her League, of which he was one of the historic exponents. Former Minister of Justice and Infrastructure, he had for some time held positions different from those of the current secretary Matteo Salvini. “Yes, I’m leaving the League – Castelli, president of the Autonomy and Freedom association, confirmed to ANSA – I’m sure of the choice that has been made for a very long time. It wasn’t a head turn, the head turn was saying it yesterday in Pontida”.
Castelli will hold a press conference on his motivations in the next few days in Milan. Castelli joined the Northern League, or rather, the Lombard League in 1985 and then began a grassroots political career as group leader in the city council in Como, secretary of the Northern League of Lecco.
In 1992 he became a deputy and then a senator. From 2001 to 2006 he was justice minister in two Berlusconi governments and then deputy infrastructure minister from 2009 to 2011. Since 2013 he has no longer sat in parliament.
In recent years, there has been no shortage of Castelli’s criticisms of Salvini who “does nothing for the North” and his disappointment at the transition from the Northern League to a national League project. And in the same way, his support for the founder of the Carroccio Umberto Bossi has never been lacking.
«The farewell to the League of former minister Castelli is the beginning of an inexorable derailment. Salvini deserves it, having brought the League, which has always been our adversary, closer to exasperated positions of xenophobic nationalism. The embrace with Marine Le Pen is evidently perceived as a betrayal of the founding spirit of her fathers.” Luana Zanella, group leader of the Green and Left Alliance in the Chamber, declared this in a note.