Congress colleagues urge Sushmita Dev to reconsider decision

Hours after Congress leader and former MP Sushmita Dev resigned from the party, many of her colleagues called it “unfortunate” and urged her to reconsider her decision. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal accused the party leadership of moving on with “eyes wide shut”.

Earlier today Congress women’s wing president and former MP Sushmita Dev has resigned from the party. Dev sent her resignation letter to Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi. She has also changed her Twitter bio to “Former Member” of the party. “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,” Kapil Sibal tweeted. Congress MP Manish Tewari called the development “most unfortunate”. Soon after former Congress MP Sushmita Dev quit the party, former Pradesh Congress Committee Chief of Assam and Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora urged her to withdraw the resignation and work towards strengthening the party. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said party president Sonia Gandhi has not received any letter from Sushmita Dev over her resignation from the party. Surjewala said Sushmita Dev is “mature enough to take her decisions”. “I tried speaking with Sushmita Dev, her phone was off. She was a dedicated Congress worker and perhaps is, even today.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has not received any letter from her. She’s mature enough to take her decisions, can’t comment until I speak with her,” Randeep Surjewala told. Dev headed the Congress’s women’s wing, the All India Mahila Congress. She is the daughter of the veteran Bengali Congress leader Santosh Mohan Dev and was a member of the 16th Lok Sabha from the constituency of Silchar in Assam.