All India Mahila Congress, Sushmita Dev, resigned from the party on Monday. In a letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Sushmita Dev mentioned no reason behind her resignation but said that she was “beginning a new chapter of public service”.
“I cherish my three-decade-long association with the Indian National Congress. May I take this opportunity to thank the party, all its leaders, members, and workers who have been a part of my memorable journey,” Dev wrote in the letter, expressing gratitude to Sonia Gandhi for her “guidance.”
The change in her Twitter bio to “Former Member” of the party was the first clue this morning that she had quit. The Assam leader is in Kolkata to meet with Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. “She will be the face of the Trinamool in Assam if she joins,” said Trinamool Congress sources.
Confirming the development, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal 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.”
Daughter of former union minister Santosh Mohan Dev, Sushmita was elected to Lok Sabha from her father’s constituency Silchar in 2014. But in 2019, she lost to Rajdip Roy of BJP.
She was later made president of the All India Mahila Congress. She, along with Gaurav Gogoi, are the two major voices of Congress from Assam in New Delhi.
Sushmita had reportedly offered to resign just before the Assembly elections in Assam in March-April as she was unhappy with the seat-sharing arrangement with Badruddin Ajmal’s AIUDF. She was, however, convinced to stay by Sonia Gandhi then.
Dev was among the Congress leaders whose Twitter handle was locked over a post showing images of the parents of a nine-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in Delhi.
(With Inputs From ANI)
