UP Congress to act against veterans

Slams them for “unnecessarily” opposing organisational revamp

(West) at the AICC, did not give any further details.

But the move appears to have been triggered by the absence of several party veterans from two recent meetings called by the new Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) chief Ajay Kumar Lallu.

The veterans felt sidelined when the new UPCC) was formed by party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Some of them are now planning to meet party president Sonia Gandhi to voice their concerns, an oldtimer, who did not wish to be named, said. A letter seeking an appointment for the delegation of about 20 people will shortly be mailed to her, he said.

Another disgruntled leader claimed that only 53 of the 325 invited people turned up on Wednesday at a meeting in Lucknow of former Congress MLAs, MLCs and MPs to discuss ways to revive the party in the state after its poor showing in the last parliamentary elections.

At an earlier meeting, 75 district unit presidents were invited but only 17 turned up, he said.

Mr Lallu and other new members were appointed to the UPCC by Priyanka Gandhi on October 7 in a move apparently meant to give a younger look to the organisation. Some veterans opposed the move.

“I have no fight with anyone and have been serving in the party since the past 30 to 40 years,” Siraj Mehdi, a former member of the UP legislative council, said on Thursday.

“In the backdrop of what we are getting to hear, we only want that our role in the party be defined,” he said. —PTI

◗ The move appears to have been triggered by the absence of several party veterans from two recent meetings.