Ctc Witnesses Good Demand, Spurt In Tags

Even as the split in the Congress began formalising with former MP Dutta Meghe and an AICC member from Bihar quitting Congress to join hands with Sharad Pawar, P A Sangma and Tariq Anwar, the Congress Working Committee was quick to respond by calling an All India Congress Committee (AICC) session in Delhi on May 25 to endorse the expulsion of the three. All Congress MPs of the dissolved Lok Sabha have been invited.

Sangma and Pawar separately announced their plans to float a new front. Sangma gave some indication to the political direction of the new front stating it would have nothing to do with the BJP and the three leaders would remain Congressmen from their heart.

However, Sonia Gandhi continued to be adamant on not taking back her resignation. She stayed away from all official party functions to mark the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, but reacted to the "heckling" of CWC members at the AICC heaquarters Thursday night. She visited former Congress president Sitaram Kesri who was manhandled by party workers the previous night and expressed regret.

She also visited the tents pitched outside the AICC office and asked the party workers to wind up and leave for their respective states. Soon, the party workers were seen winding up. By evening, most of them had left leaving the entire stretch of the road littered with rubbish.

Apart from endorsing the expulsion of Pawar, Sangma and Anwar, the AICC is expected to collectively request Sonia Gandhi to take back her resignation..

The issue raised by the three expelled leaders is also likely to be debated at the AICC.

Sharad Pawar, is expected to arrive in Delhi today. Sangma arrived Thursday night and was busy meeting mediapersons at his residence yesterday.

He said since he and his colleagues were engaged in political activity and had raised an important national issue, there were bound to float a new forum or a front. meta name="description" content="The BJP yesterday denied any nexus between it and the the trio of Sharad Pawar, Tariq Anwar and PA Sangma who were expelled by the Congress Working Committee on Thursday. ">