‘See no value’: Great grandson of Rajagopalachari quits Cong

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, February 23

CR Kesavan, the great grandson of the last Governor General of India C Rajagopalachari, bid goodbye to the Congress on Thursday, citing “absence of values” in the party.

The timing of Kesavan’s resignation could not have been worse for the grand old organisation which is seeking to unite the Opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi while appearing to be unable to keep its own flock together.

Top exits from party

Nov 2014: Former Union Shipping Minister GK Vasan

Sept 2015: Former Assam

minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

Feb 2019: Former Union External Affairs Minister SM Krishna

March 2020: Former Union

Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

June 2021: Former Union Minister Jitin Prasad

Nov 2021: Former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh

Jan 2022: Former Union Minister RPN Singh

Feb 2022: Former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar

May 2022: Punjab Cong ex-chief Sunil Jakhar; ex-minister Kapil Sibal

August 2022: Former J&K CM Ghulam Nabi Azad

Jan 2023: Anil Antony, son of former Defence Minister AK Antony

Feb 2023: CR Kesavan, great grandson of C Rajagopalachari

Anil Antony, the son of former Defence Minister and Congress veteran AK Antony, was the first to welcome Kesavan’s move. Anil had recently left the Congress over its stand on the BBC documentary on Gujarat riots.

Was in cong for 2 decades

I am truly sad to say that for a while now I have not seen any vestiges of the values that made me work for the Congress for over two decades. —CR Kesavan, Great grandson of last governor general of india C Rajagopalachari

Kesavan, once handpicked by Sonia Gandhi to serve as vice-president of the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development at Sriperumbudur (where late PM Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated) in the rank of a state minister, sent his resignation letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

“I am truly sad to say that for a while now I have not seen any vestiges of the values that made me work for the Congress for over two decades. I can no longer in good conscience say that I concur with what the party presently symbolises, stands for or seeks to propagate. That is why I had recently declined an organisational responsibility at the national level and also refrained from participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. It is time for me to chart a new path,” he said in the resignation letter.

Kesavan said he would seek a political platform to serve the country, but had not yet spoken to anyone about joining any outfit.

On serial exits, the Congress, under former chief Rahul Gandhi, has taken a position to “let those who are scared leave”.

The party’s line has been not to interrupt the ongoing churn which it seeks to place in an ideological context. Gandhi had, in July 2021, after the resignation of former minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, said the Congress did not want those who were leaving.

It remains to be seen whether the current Congress strategy of letting people go helps the party rise at the hustings like the proverbial Phoenix rising from the ashes or boomerangs.