Already gasping for its survival in India’s most politically significant state Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has been further jolted by discord and infighting after Lakhimpur unit of the party wrote to party chief Sonia Gandhi urging her to expel former Union minister, Jitin Prasada.
Prasada was one of the signatories of a letter written to the Congress president on the eve of Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, seeking a leadership change.
On Wednesday night, Congress workers staged a demonstration at the party office and shouted slogans against Prasada.
Lakhimpur is a part of Dhaurahra parliamentary constiutuency which was earlier represented by Prasada.
In the letter, Congess workers said that Prasada and his family had always been against the Gandhi family and his father, late Jitendra Prasad, had even contested party elections against Sonia Gandhi.
“Despite this, Sonia Gandhi gave Prasada a Lok Sabha ticket and made him a minister. What he has done is gross indiscipline and the Lakhimpur District Congress Committee wants strict action against him and condemns his actions,” the letter added.
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, a string of rumours suggested that Jitin Prasada was considering to bid adieu to the Congress and join the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Earlier this month, the Congress was struck by a huge crisis when 23 senior leaders wrote to Sonia Gandhi seeking a full-time visible leadership and restructuring of the organisation. The matter was, however, put to rest on Monday after Congress Working Committee members discussed the contents of the letter and resolved that Sonia would continue as Congress interim chief.
Meanwhile, UP Congress Committee maintained a studied silence on the campaign against Prasada, leeading party veterans to allege that the campaign was being orchestrated by the state leadership.
Prasada has also been in the news for running Brahmin Chetna Manch through which he has voiced concern over the atrocities on members of his community. After his initiative, several other parties tried to catch the attention of Brahmin community.