Congress’s eyes wide shut, Kapil Sibal says after Sushmita Dev leaves party

Aditi Tandon

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 16

Latent anxieties in the Congress over the state of affairs in the party came to the fore yet again on Monday as Mahila cell chief Sushmita Dev quit provoking a strong reaction from MP Kapil Sibal who taunted the party saying its eyes are wide shut.

“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,” said Sibal in perhaps his most caustic remark on the Congress leadership in recent times.

Sibal, who hosted non-BJP leaders for dinner at his home days ago, has been in the eye of a storm for “acting out of line”.

While most members of the G 23 group that previously wrote to the Congress chief for comprehensive party reforms and internal debates have gone silent, Sibal remains a visible and lone crusader and continues to press ahead with alternatives to strengthen the Congress.

His well-attended dinner was a step in that direction with Sibal saying, “This conversation will strengthen the Congress. That’s what we want.”

Sibal has also been vocal about the need to have a full-time president with a clear chain of command in the Congress.

The president elections in the party remain suspended after the Congress Working Committee in its last meeting decided to postpone the agenda in the wake of the Covid surge.

“We should have a full-time president,” Sibal says as leaders continue to leave the Congress for brighter avenues as the grand old party appears to be consistent in losing its electoral sheen.

Senior leaders feel the party is not debating much and needs to review its position on economic, political and ideological issues rather than centre its energies on anti-Modi narrative.

An alternative political agenda that inspires hope is the need of the hour, say several leaders in reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s current anti-Modi brand of politics.