Congress notice to Nirupam over articles on Nehru, Sonia

 Left embarrassed by articles in a party organ criticising Jawaharlal Nehru's policies on Kashmir and China and calling Sonia Gandhi's father a 'fascist soldier', Congress has issued a show cause notice to the magazine's editor and Mumbai party chief Sanjay Nirupam.

The powerful Disciplinary Action Committee of AICC headed by A K Antony issued the notice to Nirupam, a former Lok Sabha member from Mumbai and one of the party's important faces from the Hindi heartland in Maharashtra, about two days back. Nirupam, a former Shiv Sena man, has been given "a few days" to respond.

The party was left red faced on December 28, the day Congress was celebrating its 131st foundation day, when unsigned articles appeared in its mouthpiece blaming Nehru for "the state of affairs in Kashmir, China and Tibet".

Another write-up in 'Congress Darshan' said party president Sonia Gandhi's father Stephano Maino was a former "fascist soldier".

The show-cause notice comes despite an apology from Nirupam and Congress already having distanced itself from its "defunct" mouthpiece. Sudhir Joshi, the editorial content incharge of the magazine, was sacked soon after the articles became public.

Congress had also said earlier that the party had appointed Nirupam as MRCC chief and not editor of any magazine.

Recently, some Mumbai Congress leaders, including AICC General Secretary Gurudas Kamat, had met Sonia and complained about the matter.

The show-cause notice to Nirupam has been issued just days ahead of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's proposed visit to Mumbai on January 15 and 16. Rahul, who was back from his Europe trip on Sunday, is scheduled to hold meetings with senior party leaders including those of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee during his two-day visit.