Dr Ashwani Kumar, senior Congress leader and former Union Law Minister, quit the party today.In a resignation letter addressed to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, which was shared by news agencies, Dr Kumar wrote, “Having given my thoughtful consideration to the matter, I have concluded that in the present circumstances and consistent with my dignity, I can best subserve larger national cause outside the party fold.”
The Congress has seen a string of exits by leaders, including its youth faces – among them the likes of Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada, R P N Singh. , Sushmita Dev, Priyanka Chaturvedi and Laliteshpati Tripathi – in the last two years. But Kumar’s exit signals that even the old guard is increasingly getting disenchanted with the state of affairs in the party.
Kumar’s exit was also unexpected as he was a staunch loyalist of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and had been associated with the party for over four decades. He had defended Gandhi strongly when 23 senior leaders, now popularly known as G 23, wrote to her in August 2020 calling for sweeping changes in the party.
