SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
SILCHAR: Embracing Trinamool Congress, Sushmita Dev, former MP and ex All India Mahila Congress President, has caused consternation in political circles, no doubt, and raised many questions about her decision and future career. It was a well- guarded and well calculated move, even her close confidants were in dark. The only person Sushmita took into confidence was her mother ex MLA and former chairperson of Silchar Municipal Board, Bithika Dev, who reacting to her daughter's decision wished her safe political career.
Leaders and workers of Cachar district Congress committee who have been working with her are sceptical about her political career in Trinamool. As the senior most leader with her thirty years of association with Congress, Sushmita could not carry conviction with the rank and file and ran the affairs with a coterie. As Daiyan Hussain, Youth Congress leader, said she was dictatorial and never wanted any worker to rise, fearing challenge to her supremacy. Hussain left Congress in protest against her style of functioning.
Sushmita's switch over to Trinamool has been conditional. Uttam Saha, senior journalist of Barak Valley and very close to her, said she agreed to join if she was offered Rajya Sabha seat lying vacant after Manas Bhuiya, the incumbent, stepped down to become the Water Resources Minister in Mamata Banerjee Cabinet. Alternately, Sushmita might also agree to head the Tripura unit of TMC, the state from where her father Sontosh Mohan Dev, was elected MP twice.
Tripura people still remember him and Sushmita would definitely like to play emotional card to win their heart. TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee has been on campaign to create foothold for the party in view of the Assembly elections in 2023. TMC with Sushmita Dev at the apex, if comes to power, dislodging ruling BJP, she will be its Chief Minister of Tripura.
But, will it be a roller-coaster political drive for ambitious Sushmita Dev or hara-kiri of her political career? Political observers say looking at her track record of thirty years in Congress, if she could not be comfortable in a party cherished by her father Sontosh Mohan Dev and grand father, Satindra Mohan Dev, how could Sushmita adjust in her new dispensation? She lacks the political wisdom and acumen of Sontosh Mohan Dev. She has neither the farsightedness nor ability to carry all. Congress gave her liberty to lead the party, but she failed.
There has been more than one reason behind her decision to quit Congress. Foremost being the debacle of Congress in the Parliamentary and Assembly elections. It was a challenge she should have accepted to refurbish and rejuvenate the party. But, Sushmita Dev wanted new mooring and not reorganisation of the party which gave her all which she admitted in her resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi. Political analysts say for Sushmita Dev, it will be nothing but a political hara-kiri. One hopes it does not.
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