The Congress has said that actor Khushbu Sundar, who quit the party today, lacked "ideological commitment" and her exit would not impact the upcoming Tamil Nadu polls.
Ms Sundar, a national spokesperson of the Congress, resigned from the party's primary membership alleging that some leaders were "dictating terms" and "suppressing" her. The Tamil movie star's move came months ahead of the assembly elections in 2021.
"It is unfortunate that she is doing this. It will not have any impact on Tamil Nadu politics," a PTI report quoted Dinesh Gundu Rao, the Congress's in-charge for Tamil Nadu, as saying. The party is reportedly overhauling itself in the state ahead of the polls.
He took a dig at Ms Sundar over reports that she may join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying even till a week ago she had been criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"We will not be sidetracked…by all these issues (Ms Sundar leaving the party)…It will have no impact, zero impact," Mr Rao said, according to PTI. The media, he said, may play up the issue for a couple of days since she is an actor and then the matter would fade out.
He also said the BJP would not gain much with her entry as there is a "big anti-BJP feeling" in the state. Without elaborating, Mr Rao said she could be joining the BJP for "some other reasons, not just politics".
The Congress has, meanwhile, dropped Ms Sundar from the post of All India Congress Committee Spokesperson with immediate effect. She was with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam before joining the Congress in 2014.
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