Patna: The Congress cracked the whip following the party’s disastrous performance in the recent Bihar Assembly election.
In a strong action against internal dissent, Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) on Monday expelled seven leaders for six years because of anti-party activities and violations of discipline during the polls.
The expelled leaders are — Aditya Paswan, former vice president of Congress Seva Dal; Shakeelur Rahman, former vice-president of BPCC; Raj Kumar Sharma, former president of Kisan Congress; Raj Kumar Rajan, former president of state Youth Congress; Kundan Gupta, former president of extremely backward department; Kanchana Kumari, president of Banka district Congress committee; Ravi Golden from Nalanda District.
The expulsion order, issued by BPCC disciplinary committee chairman Kapildeo Prasad Yadav, stated that the expelled leaders deviated from the party’s core ideology, breached organisational decorum and issued misleading statements outside party platforms.
The disciplinary committee claimed that the leaders repeatedly criticised party decisions in print and social media, including baseless allegations of ticket racketeering, which damaged the party’s reputation.
The explanations given by the seven leaders to the disciplinary committee were unsatisfactory and their actions violated three out of five disciplinary norms, including deliberate disregard for directives from competent authorities and spreading confusion within the organisation. “Despite the appointment of assembly observers with central approval, these leaders continued their indiscipline,” the committee noted.
The action triggered fresh controversy within the party, with dissidents saying the seven leaders were made scapegoats to shield senior leaders from accountability for the electoral rout.
Ever since the results were declared on November 14 – Congress managed to get just 6 seats and RJD 25 — there has been growing dissent within Congress.
Some of the party leaders questioned legitimacy of the disciplinary committee, saying there was no formal notification from the AICC, unlike other panels.
“The party is expelling dedicated workers who raised alarms about weak candidates and lack of synergy among allies before the polls. These leaders are being made scapegoats to cover up ethical lapses by seniors and the humiliating defeats they caused,” Hindustan Times quoted one of the 43 dissident leaders who was previously issued showcause notice.
Another dissident expressed doubts over Kapildeo’s impartiality, asking why the disciplinary committee chairman was seen celebrating the victory of a rival BJP candidate.
