Cong expels 10 senior leaders for 'anti-Priyanka' stand

Taking a serious view of their ''veiled'' criticism of party general secretary and state in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress on Sunday expelled ten Uttar Pradesh party veterans on charges of ''indiscipline''.

Those expelled, included, several former MLAs, MPs, AICC members, and state unit office bearers.

According to the state, Congress sources, former MP Santosh Singh, AICC members Siraj Mehendi and Satyadeo Tripathi, former UP youth Congress president S.P.Goswami were among those expelled for six years.

These leaders had recently been served notices by the state leadership seeking their explanation for their outbursts against the newly constituted PCC.

''This is what you get after serving the party for decades,'' remarked one of the Cong old guards after being expelled.

All these expelled leaders had a few days back sought Congress president Sonia Gandhi's intervention to address their concerns. The leaders had criticised the present state leadership for not ''consulting'' them on any issue concerning the party.

''After Rahulji's exit, we find ourselves isolated.....we had expected Priyankaji to accommodate us respectfully in the revamped state unit but it did not happen,'' a disgruntled old guard had told DH.

The leader said that they planned to meet Sonia Gandhi and apprise her of the state of affairs in the UP unit of the party and urge her to address their concern.

Priyanka had, after the drubbing in UP in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, taken upon herself the task of revamping the state unit of the party.

The UP unit got a new president and the entire UPCC was reconstituted with young and fresh faces given important posts while the old guards were made members of an 'Advisory Board'.