BIG COMMENT/ Milind Deora Exit on Bharat Nyay Yatra Eve Evokes Bitter Memories For Congress

Milind Deora quits Congress: Bitter deja-vu hit Congress again on Sunday as former Union Minister Milind Deora broke ties with the party ahead of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. More than a year back, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad also exposed the Gandhis in a strongly-worded letter to Sonia following his acrimonious exit just 11 days ahead of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Resigning from every post within the party, Azad, taking a dig at Rahul's high-handedness, wrote,  “All senior and experienced leaders were sidelined and a new coterie of inexperienced sycophants started running the affairs of the Party." Thus, Azad broke his relationship with the Gandhis, spanning five decades with Indira, Rajiv to Sonia and Rahul.

On August 26, 2022, Azad wrote that instead of 'Bharat Jodo', Congress should focus on 'Congress Jodo.' More than a year later, nothing has changed for the Congress. As fate would have it, on the day the 'Bharat Nyay Jodo' Yatra was set to take off few months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, Deora ended a 55-year-old family relationship with the Congress. Soon after Deora left, the BJP lashed out asking the Congress to perform "nyay" within the party rather than seeking it.

Though not an acrimonious exit like Azad, Deora soon opened up after joining Shiv Sena, slamming the Congress for its “anti-industrialist” attitude. Elucidating further, Deora wrote, " It is said that there is a lot of difference between the Congress my father joined in 1968 and the one I joined in 2004. Had the Congress and the UBT focused on constructive issues and suggestions and merit and ability, then Mr Shinde and I would not be here today." He further added that the same Congress " that ushered in economic reforms 30 years ago, is a party that is abusing industrialists, businessmen and calling businessmen 'anti-nationals.'"

Once close to Rahul Gandhi, Deora was visibly miffed after his traditional South Mumbai constituency, once gifted on a platter to Indira Gandhi by his father Murli Deora, was given away to the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena. Even though Deora lost the seat to Arvind Sawant from Sena (UBT), the recent development can leverage his position with both BJP and Shinde faction votes going to him in the upcoming polls. The tipping point was Deora's traditional seat going to the Thackeray faction after the seat-sharing talk within the INDI alliance partners ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. If Deora manages to find his mojo back in 2024, then, there is an important realisation for the Congress that can even be more devasting than ever — the problem lies with the party, not one individual.