Former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Sunil Jakhar and Kerala leader K.V. Thomas will remain in the Congress, but they will not hold any party positions. The Congress Disciplinary Committee made these recommendations to party chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday.
Though there were reports that the Committee had recommended a two-year suspension for Mr Jakhar, senior members of the disciplinary panel refuted these reports.
“Our recommendations have been approved by the Congress president Sonia Gandhi-ji. Both of them will remain in the party but will not have any official position,” a member of the disciplinary panel, Tariq Anwar, told The Hindu.
The five-member Committee, chaired by party veteran A.K. Antony, met to discuss complaints against the two leaders and about five party MLAs in Meghalaya extending support to the National People’s Party-led Government in the State in which the BJP is an ally.
The meeting was attended by panel members J.P. Aggarwal and G. Parameswar, apart from Mr. Antony and Mr. Anwar. Senior member Ambika Soni, who is from Punjab, was not present.
Mr. Jakhar had criticised former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and termed him a liability for the party after the Congress lost the Punjab Assembly polls to the Aam Aadmi Party. Accusing Mr. Jakhar of using objectionable language against Mr. Channi and the Scheduled Caste community during a TV interview, some leaders, including former Minister Raj Kumar Verka, had demanded action against him.
In the case of Mr Thomas, he had defied the Kerala unit’s directions and attended a seminar organised by the CPI(M) on April 9. This had prompted the State leaders to seek action against him.
