The Big 5: Kapil Sibal and other prominent leaders who quit the Congress this year

It looks like the Congress party is facing a big exodus. Veteran leader and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal revealed that he had resigned from the party, in a surprise announcement, minutes after filing his nomination papers from the Rajya Sabha as an independent candidate backed by the Samajwadi Party (SP). “I had resigned from the Congress party on 16 May,” Sibal told reporters, signalling that he stepped down a day after the much-talked-about brainstorming session held in Udaipur, Chintan Shivir . “I am no longer a serious Congress leader,” he said when faced with a barrage of questions from the media. “While being in Opposition, we want to create an alliance so that we can oppose the Modi government. We want that in 2024, an atmosphere is created where the faults of the Modi government reach the people. We will try for that,” Sibal added, throwing light on his plans for the future. Sibal met Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow and was accompanied by the SP boss while he filed his nomination for the Upper House of Parliament. The senior leader was part of the G-23, a group of dissenting Congress leaders, who have been demanding sweeping changes in the party. The exit comes as yet another big blow to the party, which is looking to shake things up ahead of the 2024 general elections. Sibal is the fifth high-profile leader to leave the Congress over the last five months. We take a look at the recent exits and what pushed these leaders to quit the grand old party. Sunil Jakhar Former Punjab Congress president Sunil Jhakar quit the Congress on 14 May in a Facebook live video. In his address, he questioned the way Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi was handling party affairs and highlighted things “which need a chinta not chintan shivir”. [caption id=“attachment_10718251” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Sunil Jhakar was not too happy with the way Sonia Gandhi handled the party affairs. PTI[/caption] “Good luck and goodbye,” he said wrapping up his address, which came on the second day of the Chintan Shivir. The senior leader said that he had severed ties with the party the day he was showcaused for criticising former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. However, his 50-year long association with the party held him back. But not for too long. Jhakar has now joined the BJP. He was welcomed into the party fold by BJP president J P Nadda and reportedly held talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah last week. Jakhar will be a bankable leader for the BJP in Punjab, where it is trying to find its feet without former ally Akali Dal. Hardik Patel While Sibal’s announcement was unexpected, Hardik Patel’s was not . After sulking for weeks, the Patidar leader quit the Congress and wrote a resignation letter that his bosses will remember for days to come. [caption id=“attachment_10690001” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Hardik Patel, the firebrand Patidar leader from Gujarat, resigned from the Congress on 18 May. PTI[/caption] The senior leadership, he wrote, was “distracted by their mobile phones” and the Gujarat Congress was more interested in ensuring “chicken sandwiches” for them. He even took a dig at Rahul Gandhi, who brought him into the party in 2019, for “vacationing abroad”. “Our leader was abroad when he was needed in India during critical times,” the 28-year-old complained, echoing criticism that Gandhi often faces from his critics and rivals including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Patel’s biggest grouse was that the Gujarat Congress continued to sideline him and not involve him in crucial decisions regarding the party. The timing of his exit could not have been worse for the Congress, as Gujarat goes to the polls in December. Other political parties are doing all they can to woo the Patidar leader. He told The Indian Express that he would play a key role in the Assembly elections. Asked if he would join the BJP, he asked, “Why shouldn’t I.” But the youth leader is keeping his options open. Praising the Aam Aadmi Party, he said they have a better electoral strategy that the Congress. While claiming he was not “clear if he would join” AAP, he told The Indian Express that “in the upcoming elections, I don’t see the Congress anywhere”. Ashwani Kumar Former law minister Ashwani Kumar resigned from the party in February right in the middle of the election season. [caption id=“attachment_10718291” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Ashwani Kumar slammed the Congress for being narrow-minded in his resignation letter. Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Ending his 46-year-old association, the senior leader said he was leaving the Congress which “had lost touch with the ground reality and no longer reflected the national mood”. The 69-year-old leader from Punjab was displeased with the way former chief minister Amarinder Singh was humiliated and predicted a big win for the Aam Aadmi Party. In a letter to Sonia Gandhi, he said his decision was “consistent with my dignity” and critised the “narrow-minded” Congress. RPN Singh In January, ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh polls, Congress listed RPN Singh as the star campaigner. The next day, he stepped down from the party and joined the BJP. [caption id=“attachment_10718201” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  RPN Singh served with the Congress for over three decades before joining the BJP. PTI[/caption] In a letter to Sonia Gandhi, Singh, who was in charge of Jharkhand, thanked the Congress boss for giving him an opportunity to serve the nation, people and the party. The 58-year-old held portfolios like road, transport and highways; petroleum and home affairs. Speaking to the media, he said he was in the Congress for 32 years but the “party is no longer what it used to be”. Singh was the second prominent leader from Uttar Pradesh to join the BJP after Jitin Prasada, who quit the party in June 2021. The other big resignation was that of Jyotiraditya Scindia in March 2020. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.