Expelled Cong leaders celebrate party's Foundation Day

Senior Congress leaders who were removed from the party deliberated on their future course of action and celebrated the foundation day of the party

Senior expelled Congress leaders, who were removed from the party last month, celebrated its 135th Foundation Day and deliberated on their future course of action.

One of the expelled leaders, Santosh Singh (a former MP), told PTI, "Discussion were held on saving the Congress, and the action taken on the senior leaders was termed as unconstitutional. The senior party leadership was urged to intervene in this matter."

The leaders said the state unit of the party cannot expel All India Coordination Committee (AICC) members and it is "against the party's Constitution".

On November 24, the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Congress had expelled 10 of its senior leaders, including two former state ministers, for a period of six years for allegedly tarnishing the party's image and opposing its leadership's decisions at public forums.

The leaders were expelled from the primary membership of the Congress, Imran Masood, a member of the party's disciplinary committee, said in a statement.

Former UP ministers Ramkrishna Dwivedi and Satyadev Tripathi, Siraj Mehdi (former MLC), Santosh Singh (former MP), Bhoodhar Narayan Mishra (former MLA), Vinod Chaudhary (former MLA), Nek Chandra Pandey (former MLA), Swayam Prakash Goswami (former chairman of the Youth Congress) and senior leader Sanjeev Singh were expelled, it said.