'Not just political': TMC leader Sushmita Dev lifts the lid on her Congress exit

Two days after leaving the Congress party, Sushmita Dev stressed that she has not compromised on her ideological principles by switching allegiance to TMC. Addressing a press conference in Delhi on Tuesday alongside TMC spokesperson Derek O'Brien, she explained that her family has had close ties with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee since the time her father Santosh Mohan Dev commenced his political career.

Without divulging the reason for her exit from the Sonia Gandhi-led party, she vowed to accept any responsibility including organizational work in TMC. 

TMC leader Sushmita Dev remarked,

"My relationship with Mamata Didi is not just political. We had a relationship with Mamata Didi since the time my father Santosh Mohan Dev was in Congress politics. This relationship was not just political but like family. I don't feel that I have made any ideological compromise after taking this decision. My conscience is absolutely clear on that count."

"I have joined the All India Trinamool Congress unconditionally. Because a new relationship can start only with trust. And I have full faith in Mamata Didi. Since 2006 when I was practising in the Delhi High Court, Mamata Di has inspired me. Because I have rarely seen any leader after Independence who sat on a 26-day fast for farmers," she added. 

Big blow for Congress

An MLA from 2011, Dev was elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2014 General Election from Silchar. However, the All India Mahila Congress chief suffered a shocking defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls at the hands of BJP's Rajdeep Roy. As early as March, rumour mills were abuzz that she was set to leave Congress. This was owing to the fact that she differed from Congress' stance and backed the Citizenship Amendment Act, citing that people in the Barak Valley are in its favour. 

Moreover, she sparked a row by refusing to wear the 'no CAA' gamosa while sharing the stage with top Congress leaders. After being allegedly miffed over Congress' defeat in the Assam Assembly polls, the ex-Silchar MP formally jumped ship to the Mamata Banerjee-led party on Monday in the presence of Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O'Brien. As per sources, she is likely to shift her political base from Assam to Tripura, where TMC has a sizeable presence.