Rita’s exit ‘moral loss’ for Congress

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 20

Even as the Congress blamed its former UP chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi’s switchover to the BJP on her family history, party leaders privately acknowledged the exit was a moral loss for the Congress given her famed proximity to the Gandhis.

“Rita has been a teacher of history and has repeated her family history of betrayal. Her exit won’t affect Congress’ prospects in Uttar Pradesh,” UP Congress chief Raj Babbar said, adding Rita had for the past few days been telling the party she was unwell and the party respected that.

Congress general secretary for UP Ghulam Nabi Azad termed Rita’s move as “opportunistic” and said she was unsure of retaining her Lucknow Cantt seat owing to tough competition.

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On her tirade against Rahul Gandhi’s “khoon ki dalaali” statement on surgical strikes, Babbar said the remarks had been misunderstood. “People (like Rita) who pursue selfish politics are afraid of Rahul’s attempts to democratise the Congress and practice ‘lokneeti’ (populism) instead of ‘rajneeti’ (politics),” Babbar said.

Whatever be Congress’ defence, party insiders said Rita’s exit ahead of the UP polls would dent party’s perception among the Brahmins, the single most important caste base it is wooing.

To this end, the Congress had in July projected former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, a Brahmin leader, as its CM candidate. The UP Congress restructuring that followed totally sidelined Rita, a two-time former state Congress chief.