Nijalingappa has flouted party rules: Indira Gandhi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Indira Gandhi today charged Congress president S. Nijalingappa of flouting the provisions of the Congress constitution in removing Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and C. Subramaniam from the Congress Working Committee.

“Apart from these objections to your obviously illegal action, it is amazing that while speaking of unity, you should take action which displays your disregard for the unity of the organisation,” she said in a nine-page reply to Mr Nijalingappa’s letter of today and of October 28.

Ms Gandhi said, “Mr Nijalingappa’s action against Mr Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and Mr C. Subramaniam were patently illegal”.

The party constitution and rules did not provide for the removal of CWC members.

She said, “Mr Nijalingappa has flouted the principals underlying the party constitution, and again illegally and in violation of the party constitution,” and dropped Dr S. D. Sharma from the CWC.

Ms Gandhi said, “The actions of Mr Nijalingappa only showed that to serve his own purpose, he is quite prepared to flout the provisions of the party’s constitution and remove persons who are members of the highest policymaking body of the party”.

VILIFICATION MOVE

The Prime Minister in her letter referred to Mr Nijalingappa’s reference to the unity resolution and the need for its strict adherence and said that was not the general impression the country has about his attitude.

Ms Gandhi charged that senior members of the Working Committee were carrying on a vilification campaign against her and her supporters but Mr Nijalingappa did not take any action to stop this.

Ms Gandhi regretted that Mr Nijalingappa should have cast aspersions on a large number of members of the organisation of which he was the head and raised various matters “only to cloud issues”.

Ms Gandhi said, it was “a snap decision by a majority vote” on Sanjiva Reddy’s candidature for the Union presidentship that had led to all “the subsequent complications”.

“Taking such major decisions without any discussion was neither ‘responsible’ nor ‘mature,’” she said.

She said the success of Mr Giri in the presidential election by winning the support of many parties could not be put against her and her colleagues.

She protested against the insinuation in Mr Nijalingappa’s letter that those who pleaded for a free vote were collaborating with the Communist Party and the Muslim League.