Congress' state unit chides Jitin Prasada: 'Can stay in party only as worker & not leader'

Thanking Jitin Prasada for leaving Congress on Wednesday, the party's Chhattisgarh unit fired a sycophantic jibe despite a spate of high-profile exits in recent times. Writing on Twitter, it said, "You can remain in Congress only as a party worker, not a leader". This was seen as a veiled reference to the fact that no Congress leader can challenge the leadership of the Gandhi family if he wants to secure future prospects in the party.

Incidentally, Madhya Pradesh Congress too had tweeted a controversial statement- "Congress is happy with the departure of Jitin Prasad. It is a common action like throwing garbage in the dustbin". However, it was deleted after a massive backlash on social media. A day earlier, UP Congress chief Ajay Singh Lallu lamented that Prasada had jumped ship despite the party providing him multiple opportunities including his recent key West Bengal role. 

Speaking to the media after his induction, Prasada explained that he took this decision after a lot of deliberation considering the fact that three generations of his family have a connection with Congress. Justifying his move to leave the Sonia Gandhi-led party, he said that there was no point in staying in a party if a person cannot protect the interests of people. Moreover, the ex-Lok Sabha MP lauded the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and promised to work as a dedicated BJP member. 

Losses dented Prasada's influence 

Born on November 29, 1973, Jitin Prasada was educated at the Shri Ram College of Commerce and also completed his MBA. Commencing his political career with the Indian Youth Congress in 2001, he won his first election three years later by winning the Shahajahanpur Lok Sabha seat. He also went to win in the 2009 Lok Sabha election- this time from Dhaurara. He served as MoS during the Manmohan Singh-led UPA tenure handling portfolios such as Steel, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Road Transport & Highways and Human Resource Development.

However, his career suffered a setback as he lost to BJP's Rekha Verma from Dhaurahra not just in 2014 but also in 2019 where he lost his deposit. He was one of the 23 Congress leaders who wrote to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on August 23, 2020, making suggestions for the overhaul of the party post failures in multiple elections. Following this, the UP Congress' Lakhimpur unit passed a resolution seeking strict action against all 23 signatories- singling out Prasada by name.