Sushmita Dev's exit: Congress needs to smell the coffee and act!

Dealing a blow to Congress, Sushmita Dev joined hands with TMC. While Congress is preparing to fight the BJP alongside a united opposition, one after the other, its own young Turks are leaving the party. Even many of the party insiders believe that It's time for Congress to wake up and act wisely, writes Niyamika Singh.

New Delhi: A day after her resignation from Congress, Sushmita Dev made it clear that she has no grievances against the party, but her move must have been a rude shock for the grand old party and especially for the Gandhi family. On her joining Trinamool Congress (TMC), Sushmita Dev said, "I've no grievances against Congress party. I made this decision because in politics you are not alone, you have a responsibility of your supporters. I cannot undermine the quality of leadership that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi has given me for decades."

Sushmita Dev, an ex-MP and former All India Mahila Congress President, used to be considered as one of the closest aides of Rahul Gandhi. Before her exit, many of the other young leaders including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada were among the key members of Rahul's team who decided to switch the path. While speaking over the matter, Congress' ex-spokesperson Sanjay Jha said, "The Congress has lost another very very popular leader. Sushmita Dev was the head of the Mahila Congress. She was a very hardworking, determined, and passionate politician, who was earlier a Lok Sabha MP from Assam. From my little experience of having worked with Sushmita, I must say, she was a terrific asset for the Congress party."

He further added, "Jitin Prasada, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and many other leaders have left the party since the 2019 and 2014 Lok Sabha defeats. Clearly, the message for Congress is please stop this from happening." Sanjay Jha asserted, "Political organizations are not abstract or concrete structure, they are made by the people. The problem is nobody is ready to listen to the voices that are saying let's change, let's reform, let's improve. And I do believe that this is a warning signal for the Congress party because soon it might become a floodgate. Therefore the grand old party needs to wake up. Quickly smell the coffee and do something about it."

Soon after Sushmita Dev's resignation, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal also launched an attack on the party, by tweeting, "Sushmita Dev Resigns from the 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."

Meanwhile, on the other hand, former Union Minister and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared a news article on Twitter about the joining of Naiwrita Joy Shukla, granddaughter of former Congress MP Lalit Mohan Suklabaidya from Karimganj constituency, in the party, a day after Sushmita Dev, party’s most prominent face from Barak Valley quitted the party. He said, "Someone goes, many others will come."