The Congress High Command is contemplating action against several Delhi Congress leaders for seeking dismissal of the AAP Government in Delhi without seeking prior permission from the party leadership. These leaders had recently submitted a memorandum to lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung demanding dismissal of the Arvind Kejriwal Government for its total failure to provide relief to Delhiites who had a horrifying experience due to waterlogging in the city.
The leaders, who had submitted memorandum to the l-G, include former Speaker Yoganand Shastri, former Ministers Ramakant Goswami and Mangat Ram Singhal, former legislators Matin Ahmed and Asif Mohd and former Delhi Women Congress head Onika Mehrotra. According to Congress sources, the party has never demanded dismissal of Arvind Kejriwal Government in Delhi and these leaders have gone ahead against the party line.
Sources present in the meeting said that Chacko took strong note of the fact that the party leaders had gone to Raj Niwas and demanded dismissal of the Kejriwal Government without seeking prior approval of the Congress leadership. He said that Chacko said some leaders were working like the parallel organisation of the Pradesh Congress Committee. He reportedly made it clear to one and all that such actions of any leader who speak in double voice won't be tolerated.
Chacko said that party was going to take strict action against all those leaders who were working against the interests of the Congress.
"The matter was discussed during a meeting on Tuesday which among others was attended by AICC in-charge of Delhi Congress PC Chacko, local party president Ajay Maken, former MPs Sajjan Kumar and Mahabal Mishra, former city Congress heads Arvinder Singh lovely and Subhash Chopra, former Delhi Assembly speaker Prem Singh and former Delhi Ministers AK Walia, Kiran Walia, Haroon Yusuf, Raj Kumar Chauhan and Narendra Nath," said the sources. The meeting was held at Congress war room at Rakab Ganj.
The meeting, which was called to discuss the party's future strategy for the next year municipal elections and the possibility of by-elections in 21 Assembly seats in case the President expels these MlAs for holding office of profit as parliamentary secretaries, deliberated at length on the memorandum submitted by several city leaders to the l-G seeking dismissal of the AAP Government.
Another leader present in the meeting said that the party has started assigning booth-wise duty to its leaders for future polls. "Each leader will be responsible for one polling station. Whether there are five or 10 polling booths under his or her jurisdiction, the concerned leader will be answerable for the poll outcome of these booths."