After letter to Sonia, UP Congress leaders demand to expel Jitin Prasada

After the fiery Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting following the 'letter bomb', factional fighting came to the fore in the Uttar Pradesh Congress with many senior state leaders gunning for the heads of the signatories to the letter.

Many leaders have demanded the expulsion of former Union minister and senior Congress leader Jitin Prasada, who was among the 23 party leaders who had signed the letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi seeking overhauling in the party organisation, from the party.

A resolution regarding this was also adopted at a meeting of the Lakhimpur Kheri district unit of the Congress on Thursday, according to the party sources here.

"Prasada has committed an act of indiscipline by signing such a letter...he should be acted against...he should be expelled," district Congress president Prahlad Patel said.

Former MP from Lakhimpur Kheri Zafar Ali Naqvi also supported the demand.

Scores of Congress workers, who had gathered at the party office, also raised slogans against Prasada.

Prasada, who had earlier lent support to former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, when the latter had rebelled, has been spearheading the party's campaign to corner the UP government on alleged 'persecution' of the 'Brahmins' in the state.

Prasada, who is a 'Brahmin', had recently undertaken a 'Pad Yatra' (foot march) during which he had met the 'Brahmin' families, whose members had been killed in the past few months.

Meanwhile, former Congress MP Kapil Sibal slammed those demanding Prasada's expulsion and asked the party leaders to attack the BJP instead of targeting their own party leaders.