India is no new to political dramas. If a political leader quits one party and joins the other with elections round the corner, it doesn’t amuse the countrymen anymore.
In the past seven years, more than two dozen members of the Congress Party parted ways and joined the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). This started at a time when BJP had a major chance of coming to power in 2014 and it continues even today. Few expected that in 2020, Sachin Pilot, the face on whom Congress relied in Rajasthan, will be sacked for conspiracy to topple the Ashok Gehlot-led state government.
The Rajasthan political crisis involving Pilot and Gehlot has raised the question on Congress’s existence yet again.
Since Congress lost people’s support, several congressmen have ditched the party and joined others for various reasons. Let us take a look at some of them:
1. S M Krishna
Former External Affairs minister under the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government decided to leave the party in 2017 on the grounds of being sidelined. Krishna blamed Rahul Gandhi for his exodus from the party. He felt the party was confused and didn’t know if it wanted ‘mass leaders’ or not. Krishna left and joined BJP soon after.
2.Jyotiradiya Scindia
Known as the future of Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Jyotiraditya Scindia’s departure from the grand old party created an uproar in the political circles. It not only created a ruckus but also removed the congress government from power in Madhya Pradesh. Scindia left Congress in March 2020 and joined BJP the day after.
3. Sumitra Devi Kasdekar
Recent one to leave Congress is Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Sumitra Devi Kasdekar. She resigned on Friday, July 17 and joined BJP promptly. Jyotiaditya Scindia even welcomed her to BJP and was quoted as saying “did the right thing” on her leaving Congress.
4. Rao Inderjit Singh
Back in 2013, senior Congress leader, the then Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh decided to leave the party over disputes with Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Hooda, according to him, was rolling out development schemes in areas where the CM had influence.
Singh had a strong influence in Haryana and soon after leaving the party he had said on television channels and newspapers that the Haryana government was not transparent and if Robert Vadra (Priyanka Gandhi’s husband) was guilty, he should be punished.
5. Narayan Rane
The former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane quit Congress in 2017 to join BJP. He was reportedly unhappy in Congress. He had accused the party of doing injustice to him and did not fulfill its promise to make him the Maharashtra CM within six months of his joining the party when it was in power. In October 2017, he floated his own political party, ‘Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha’. Before this, Rane had exited Shiv Sena in 2005.
6. Shankersinh Vaghela
Claiming to expel him from the party, Senior Gujarat politician Shankersinh Vaghela left Congress in 2017. He, according to himself, was a victim of intra-party conspiracy. However, as supposed, he did not join BJP but the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
7. Rita Bahuguna Joshi
On leaving the party in 2016, the then Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee Chief and MLA Rita Bahuguna Joshi joined BJP and blamed Rahul Gandhi for the reason of her exit. “Rahul Gandhi’s leadership is not acceptable;e to people. With Rahul at the helm, nobody listens to us,” she had then said.
8.Ravi Kishan
Earlier in February of 2017, the Bhojpuri actor and now BJP member walked out of Congress after joining it in 2014 from Jaunpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Upon joining BJP, he said, “Have come to the party that thinks for the poor, my focus is on development not on insulting others.” Did he hint at Congress insulting him or other members and not thinking about the poor?
In the past, politicians like N Biren Singh, Tom Vadakkan, Jagdambika Pal and many more had left Congress imprinting a weak, confused picture of the party. The party is already being criticised for not having ambition and zeal. As number of leaders leaving the party increases, it only makes the claims true.
Moreover, the recent rows in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan involving Jyotiaditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot have only brought a bad name to the party.
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