8 Congress secys dropped from party post

The Congress has removed eight secretaries as part of the ongoing organisational reshuffle, a senior party functionary familiar with the developments said on Monday.

Those dropped as All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretaries are Priya Dutt, Kishore Lal Sharma, Ashwani Sekhri, Sajjan Singh Verma, Rakesh Kalia, V Hanumantha Rao, Vijay Laxmi Sadho and K Jayakumar.

All of them were appointed as AICC secretaries on June 16, 2013.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been making piecemeal changes in the organisation after taking over the reins of the party from his mother, Sonia Gandhi, on December 16 last year.

After a delay of seven months, Rahul Gandhi had reconstituted the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decisionmaking body of the party, on July 17 this year.

As of now, there are 67 AICC secretaries and Congress functionaries do not rule out more inductions in the coming days.

Dutt, a former Lok Sabha member from Mumbai NorthWest, was handling communications department while Sharma was assisting the party in Bihar. Before coming to the AICC as an office bearer, Sharma looked after Sonia Gandhi’s Lok Sabha constituency of Rae Bareli.

Jayakumar had drawn flak for his inept handling of the Congress affairs in the northeastern states, Rao was last month appointed as the head of the party’s strategy-cum planning committee in poll-bound Telangana.

Rao had openly expressed displeasure over the appointment and stated that he wanted to become the chairperson of the publicity committee.

Sadho, a former Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh, also handled North East. Sekhri was AICC secretary in-charge of Gujarat, Kalia of Madhya Pradesh and Verma, a former Lok Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh, of Gujarat.

In his relieving letter to Dutt, Congress general secretary in-charge of organisation Ashok Gehlot wrote that Rahul Gandhi appreciated her hard work and contribution to the party.

“I am sure that your services will be utilised by the party in future also,” he said.

CONGRESS PRESIDENT RAHUL GANDHI HAS BEEN CARRYING OUT ORGANISATIONAL CHANGES IN THE PARTY AFTER TAKING OVER THE REINS OF THE PARTY