New Delhi, Aug 16: Congress leader and former Member of Parliament Sushmita Dev, who is also president of All India Mahila Congress, Monday, resigned from the party. In a letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Sushmita Dev offered 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.”
Dev has also changed her Twitter bio to a former member of the party and former chief of the Mahila Congress. Sushmita is also the daughter of seven-time parliamentarian Santosh Mohan Dev. She was considered the face of the Congress in Assam’s largely Bengali-speaking Barak Valley.
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She had met the Congress president along with other leaders of the Assam Congress on Saturday. Dev was one of the many Congress leaders who had violated the POCSO Act by sharing the image of rape victim’s parents in solidarity with Rahul Gandhi.
Reacting to Dev’s resignation, party 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.”
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Earlier this month, two-time Congress MLA from Assam Sushanta Borgohain quit the party to join the BJP. Prior to that, in June, four-time Congress MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi quit the party and joined the BJP.
Sushmita Dev joined TMC in the presence of party leaders Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O'Brien.