New Delhi, Feb 16 (IANS): The irresistible offer of Rajya Sabha seat is the leading cause of exodus from the Congress, say sources as leaders are eying the upper house berth from other parties and the recent resignation of former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar has set up a debate in the grand old party.

Senior Congress leader and three time Rajya Sabha member and former Union Minister Ashwani Kumar left the party as sources point out that he may join a party which can send him to the upper house of the parliament. Congress MP Manish Tewari, a former Union Minister has been more candid speaking at a press conference in Ludhiana on Wednesday where he said, "anybody leaving the party is a setback and Ashwani Kumar's resignation is unfortunate but ambition for a Rajya Sabha berth makes people do many things."

Tewari, a leader of G-23 group has been criticised by Kumar for speaking for party reforms, but he said that after the resignation of Kumar, "we had vigorous differences of opinion but in a civilised manner. Unfortunate that Ashwani Kumar felt compelled to take this call," Tewari had tweeted.

Kumar is not the only case. Former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Falerio, who was the senior leader of the Congress, quit the party and joined TMC. Ditto with Sushmita Dev, former head of the women's wing of the Congress, too quit the party and joined Trinamool Congress later. Both were nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Bhubaneswar Kalita too had left Congress and later landed in the upper house from the BJP.

Jyotiraditya Scindia had quit the party and joined BJP. He was was elected to the Rajya Sabha and made a minister. Similarly Jitin Prasada quit the Congress to join BJP and now he is a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government. The recent high profile exit of R.P.N. Singh to BJP is linked by some to Rajya Sabha berth.

The grand old party's reduced strength is the reason as the Congress could not send more representatives to the Council of States, from the state like UP where the party has only one MP. Punjab has 7 berths and the fight is intense as Sunil Jakhar and many others are contenders from the party. Ambika Soni, Shamsher Singh and Partap Singh Bajwa are the sitting members.