The Congress party is witnessing an unprecedented departure of leaders ahead of the high-stakes Lok Sabha polls. The majority of them, who quit the grand old party of late, said it was a directionless faction with ineffective organisation and an anti-Sanatan mindset. In the fresh exodus spree, the Congress party has lost many of its key spokespersons. The people, who once strongly backed the Congress Party on TV debates and public platforms will now question them over the very same issue.
Former Congress spokesperson Rohan Gupta on Thursday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party days after severing ties with the Congress. His ceremonial entry into the saffron party happened in the presence of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde.
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While intersecting with media after adopting BJP membership, Gupta took a dig at the Congress party alleging that they were insulting the Sanatan Dharma. He also tore into Jairam Ramesh, alleging that the latter prevented them from speaking when the Sanatan was being ‘insulted’. "There is a communication in charge who has 'Ram' in his name, he told us to keep quiet when Sanatan (Dharma) was being insulted," he said.
Days back, Gourav Vallabh resigned from Congress citing almost the same reasons. He raised 2-3 major issues in his resignation letter to the party chief Mallikarjujn Kharge. “I am not able to feel comfortable with the directionless way in which the Congress Party is moving forward today. I can neither raise anti-Sanatan slogans nor abuse the wealth creators of the country in the morning and evening. That is why I am resigning from all posts and primary membership of Congress Party,” Vallabh posted on X.
Vallabh said that party workers like him were feeling discouraged as the party lost its ground connection and wasn’t able to cop with contemporary ideas. He also said the part was failing in bridging the gap between the top brass and workers.
Apart from these two leaders, Raju Waghmare, a spokesperson of the Maharashtra unit of Congress, on Tuesday quit the party and joined the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena.
Raju Waghmare with Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde after joining Shiv Sena. Pic credit- X/@drrajuwaghmare
Reason Behind Exodus:
Many Congress leaders expressed disappointment after the party turned down the Ram Temple ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony invitation. The BJP also launched a fervid campaign against the Congress, alleging that they had taken an anti-Hindu stand to appease minorities. Most of the leaders, who recently deserted the Congress, said they were unhappy over the anti-Sanatan approach of the party.
Many said the Congress party lacked decision-making capacity and the top brass was inaccessible. They said Mallikarjun Kharge was just a symbolic party chief and Rahul Gandhi was the de facto decision maker.
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Spokesperson Crisis In Congress:
The Congress party is witnessing a spokesperson crisis as many of the party mouthpieces have either quit the party or are under the scanner of the EC after unruly comments during the poll campaign. Supriya Shrinate faces criticism for an offensive social media post targeting BJP candidate and actor Kangana Ranaut. Although Shrinate clarified that the post was made without her knowledge, the repercussions have already taken effect.
Shrinate’s official Instagram account posted an offensive post featuring a picture of Ranaut with a derogatory caption.
Earlier this year, another senior leader, Pawan Khera, found himself embroiled in controversy over BJP's accusations that he had insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Additionally, Senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala is currently facing criticism for his comment against BJP MP and actor Hema Malini.