Congress disciplinary panel sends notice to Sunil Jakhar, KV Thomas
Apr 11, 2022
New Delhi [India], April 11 : The Congress Disciplinary Committee on Monday has sent notices to former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar and senior party leader from Kerala KV Thomas for their public conduct against the party lines in recent times.
Held at Congress War Room in Delhi, the meeting of the Committee was attended by senior party leaders Tariq Anwar, JP Aggarwal and Ambika Soni.
Following the meeting Tariq Anwar said, "We are sending notice to both the leaders and asked them to reply on it within a week. Sunil Jakhar's statements during the Punjab Assembly polls harmed the party."
"KV Thomas has been given show cause notice for participating in Left's program in Kerala. Prior to that KV Thomas had done a press confrence in Kerala and had said that he will attend the programme. While Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was also invited by the CPIM for the seminar but he refused to attend the event after state leadership objected," Anwar said.
He further said the top leadership of Congress had intervened and Thomas was called by Sonia Gandhi for the same.
"But Thomas attended the seminar following which Kerala Congress Chief K Sudhakaran wrote a letter to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and has urged her to take action against him," added Anwar.
Sunil Jakhar reportedly passed "objectionable" remarks targeting former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for being an SC leader.
Meanwhile, KV Thomas, defying the party's decision, attended a seminar organised by the CPI-M in Kannur over which Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President K Sudhakaran wrote to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi demanding "strict and befitting disciplinary action" against him.
Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, obeyed the order of the party leadership and declined the invitation to the seminar.
Senior party leader PJ Kurien had said that KV Thomas "disobeyed" the directives.
Congress reconstituted this committee in view of the cases of "indiscipline" coming to the fore in the party. The grand old party has appointed senior leader and former Defense Minister AK Antony as its president of the committee.
