Dubbing his suspension as “impulsive and undemocratic decision”, senior Congress leader and former MP Jagmeet Singh Brar on Tuesday charged the Congress leadership of taking action against him in “clumsiest manner”.
Brar, reacting to his suspension by the Congress last week along with the rebel party MP from Haryana, Chaudhary Birender Singh for “gross indiscipline” and “deliberately lowering the prestige of the party”, maintained that he was yet to receive the suspension orders.
The former member of the Congress Working Committee, Brar was slapped with a notice by the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC). The issue was then referred to the Central Disciplinary Committee following a report from the Congress’ national general secretary in-charge of the state Dr Shakeel Ahmed.
Congress, announcing action against Brar and Birender Singh on August 14, had said that its Central Disciplinary Committee had, on the basis of facts, found both guilty and recommended their immediate suspension from the party.
Brar, however, claimed that the meeting of the high-powered Disciplinary Committee of All India Congress Committee (AICC) was never called to discuss his suspension and neither was he called before it.
“I was never called and I can say on oath that till today I have not received the so-called suspension order. This was only issued to the press, never served on my address or mail,” he said.
The action against Brar came days after he criticized the party’s functioning and suggested that Congress national president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi should “take a break” and hand over the party’s reins to somebody else.
Peeved, Brar maintained that other senior Congress leaders like Digvijay Singh and Janardan Dwivedi had made “far more inflammatory” and “damaging” statements against the party.
Resenting that his suspension had been clubbed with that of Birender Singh, Brar accused Sonia of “grave discrimination” on this count. “To club and integrate my suspension with Birender Singh reflects a very poor understanding and frustration on behalf of the party leadership and the High Command,” he said.
“They failed to take note that our positions were polls apart ideologically along with the dimensions of questions raised by the both of us. No body even studied and analyzed my statement, which had the foundation and sincerity of a 35 years loyal soldier of the party,” he added.
He added that the responsibility of this humiliating defeat of the party lies on all of us as a collective cohesive party and responsibility. “My perceptions are based on improving the party to face the future challenges. I have nothing against anyone individually,” he clarified.
Insisting that he has been “loyal” to Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia and loved the children (Rahul and Priyanka) as his own family, he asked the Congress president to “think, evaluate before taking such drastic steps”.
Throwing light on his association with the party, he said he had addressed more than 30 annual sessions of the party in different States, covered the whole nation as a party observer and an activist during its worst times, besides serving as CWC member and AICC office bearer for nine and 15 years.
“The time has come when the party should concentrate on ideas and ideals and not on personalities,” he said.