The main gate of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) headquarters was locked for media persons in an apparent bid to conceal growing resentment among the employees working there.
Agitated with the removal of five veteran staff of UPCC, over three dozen employees sat on a dharna in the Mall Avenue headquarters of the UP Congress on Wednesday in apprehension that soon they would also meet the same fate.
Earlier, Congress veterans were handed out similar treatment by the state unit brass as they were either expelled or preferred to quit on their own. They had alleged that a personal staff of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was humiliating them on slightest pretext which was unacceptable.
On May 31, five senior employees of the UPCC were shown the door by serving them termination letters with immediate effect and handed out one month's salary as compensation.
Interestingly, the decision to terminate the UPCC employees was also taken by a personal staff of Priyanka Gandhi, who, sources said, were now enjoying all powers of a UPCC chief.
Ironically, Congress has been running without a full-time president since the results of last assembly elections were announced.
The news of termination of services of fellow workers sent shock waves amongst the remaining employees as they apprehended that they too could be removed anytime. To express resentment against the action, the UPCC employees gathered at the headquarters and sat on dharna in the corridor in front of the UP Congress chief’s chamber on Wednesday morning.
Interestingly, when media persons visited the Congress office to collect details from the party brass and interview the agitating staff, locks were immediately put on the main gate and a guard was deployed there to not allow journalists in, citing an order issued by UPCC administration in-charge Yogesh Dikshit.