Sonia Gandhi drops Ghulam Nabi Azad from Congress disciplinary action committee

Former Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad was removed from Congress' disciplinary action committee after Sonia Gandhi reconstituted the panel. Azad is part of the G-23 group that demanded changes in the party's structure.

At least 20 Jammu and Kashmir Congress leaders considered close to Azad had resigned from their party positions a day ago. The move was to press for a leadership change in the region.

Former ministers G M Saroori, Vikar Rasool and Dr Manohar Lal Sharma; former legislators Jugal Kishore Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Monga, Naresh Gupta, Mohammad Amin Bhat, Subash Gupta; State Congress vice-president Anwar Bhat, and Kulgam District Development Council member Anyatullah Rather were among the leaders who resigned, reported The Indian Express.

Kapil Sibal, a vocal member of the G23, had recently said that the party does not have a president at the moment. "We don't know who is making these decisions. We know and yet we don't know."

Sonia Gandhi had addressed the CWC last month and asserted that she is "a full time and hands-on Congress president." Referring to Sibal's statement at the press conference, she said that she always appreciated the frankness and there was no need to speak to her through the media.

The party president has also dropped former Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and former Arunachal Chief Minister Mukut Mithi from the committee. One of the previous panel's members, Motilal Vora, passed away last month.

The new panel is headed by A K Antony and has AICC general secretary Tariq Anwar as member secretary. CWC member Ambika Soni, senior Delhi Congress leader Jai Prakash Aggarwal and Karnataka leader G Parameshwara are also on the committee.