Sitaram Kesari's name disappears and then reappears on list of ex-Cong chiefs on party website

The name of Congress veteran Sitaram Kesari, who helmed the party from 1996 to 1998, disappeared and was later added to the list of former party presidents on its website on Tuesday.

His name was added to the list, which features Congress leaders who served as president starting from 1885, after the matter was reported in sections of the media.

The amended list showed names of Sonia Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao and Kesari in the group of party chiefs during the period 1990-2018 on the website. Earlier, the name of Gandhi and Rao appeared twice while Kesari's name was omitted.

Kesari was elevated to the party chief's post after Narasimha Rao stepped down as party president in September 1996.

Kesari's term witnessed several controversies, the most important being Congress' sudden withdrawal of support from H D Deva Gowda's United Front government, which led to the fall of the government in April 1997.

He was succeeded by Sonia Gandhi after he was stripped of the post at a Congress Working Committee meeting. His removal is considered by some as a betrayal of the party constitution.

After his exit from office in March 1998, he was denied party candidature for the Rajya Sabha once his last term ended in April 2000.