Cong. leader Sushmita quits party, joins TMC
Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev resigned from the primary membership of the Congress. She tendered in her resignation to the party president Sonia Gandhi.
In her resignation letter, the former Assam MP is said to have written that she was beginning a “new chapter in my life of public service”.
Dev had sent her resignation letter to Gandhi on Sunday, though senior Congress functionaries refuted the same even as they wished her well.
Sources said she had been unhappy with the Congress leadership for some months, especially over the decision to tie up with the AIUDF in the April-May Assam elections. She also had a disagreement with the state Congress leadership over the choice of poll candidates. She almost quit in March but was persuaded by the Gandhi to stay, say sources. She is the daughter of Assam Congress stalwart and influential Bengali leader late Santosh Mohan Dev.
Soon after leaving the Congress, she joined the
TMC on Monday afternoon. She met senior Trinamul leaders including Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O’Brien before formally joining the party.
She offered no reason in her letter to Sonia Gandhi for quitting her party of three decades, only talking about a “new chapter of public service”.
Confirming the development, the TMC said in a tweet, “We warmly welcome the former president of All India Mahila Congress Sushmita Dev to our Trinamul family!”
The TMC also posted pictures of Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O’Brien welcoming Sushmita Dev to the party.
Sensing the opportunity
to impress upon their views the G-23 also made a statement. Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal charged his party with “moving on with eyes wide shut”.
Sibal, one of Congress’ group of 23 dissenters (G23) tweeted, “Sushmita Dev resigns from primary membership of our Party. While young leaders leave we ‘oldies’ are blamed for our efforts to strengthen it. The party moves on with: Eyes Wide Shut”. (sic)
Dev was considered close to the Gandhis. Her leaving the party once again poses serious questions to the party high command. In the last one year she is the third high profile exit from the party apart from Jyotiraditya Scindhia and Jitin Prasada.