Congress suspends two for demanding Priyanka's candidature

Two Congressmen in Allahabad were late Wednesday suspended from the primary membership of the party for seeking Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's candidature from Phoolpur parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

Shreesh Chandra Dubey and Haseeb Ahmad had put up hoardings in the Civil Lines area of Allahabad saying that since Congress president Sonia Gandhi was unwell and Rahul Gandhi was over burdened, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should campaign for the party and contest from Phoolpur in Allahabad district of the state, a constituency represented by the late prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru a long time back.

The district Congress committee had served a notice to the leaders Wednesday seeking an explanation on their conduct and "deriding Congress president as ill and dragging Priyanka into the political space".

Congress state spokesman Dwijendra Tripathi told IANS that the two have been asked to file a response within a week on why they should not be expelled for anti-party activities.

The Congress party may also be contemplating legal action against the two, sources said.

Meanwhile, reacting to his suspension, district secretary Haseeb Ahmad said he will not be cowed down by such actions. "I only said through the hoardings what is the public sentiment, and that of the grassroot Congress worker. I will continue to echo it till I am alive," he said.

A combative Ahmad also threatened to go on a hunger strike outside the Anand Bhawan - the ancestral house of the Nehru's or the 10, Janpath, the residence of Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi till his demand of fielding Priyanka was not met.