HYDERABAD: Congressmen indulging in activities like insulting or burning party chief Sonia Gandhi in effigy and disfiguring the statues of Jawaharlal Nehru will face suspension, state Congress president D Srinivas has warned.
At a meeting with PCC office-bearers held at Gandhi Bhavan this afternoon to discuss the prevailing situation, Srinivas appealed to those who resigned in support of Jagan Mohan Reddy to withdraw their resignations.
The PCC chief reportedly told the office bearers that normalcy would be restored in the party in two to three days and that there would be no threat to the Congress government in the state. The disturbances which took place after Jagan’s resignation were not much as was expected earlier. The meeting adopted a resolution condemning the acts of indiscipline.
Talking to newsmen later, Srinivas strongly condemned effigy-burning and flexi-tearing, and attacks on party offices in Anantapur, Kadapa, Tirupati, Ongole and other places, and warned that the party would take it seriously if the Jagan’s followers resorted to violent and destructive methods by hurting the party’s interests.
Congress workers would not tolerate if they (Jagan fans) provoked the cadre’s sentiments and create ‘polluted’ atmosphere.
There was a need for all partymen to condemn such activities, he said.
The PCC chief claimed that the Congress high command had given ‘full freedom and encouragement’ to Rajasekhara Reddy and made him grow politically and become the chief minister twice. Even after the death of YSR, party chief Sonia Gandhi showed full sympathies to the late leader’s family.
Jagan should have ruminated over the ‘past’ before taking the sudden decision of resigning from the Congress party. Those who have insulted Sonia Gandhi by burning her in effigy and tearing down flexis were not ‘true’ Congress workers. “It is a big crime and we want the official machinery to act stringently against the persons who indulged in such acts,” he said.
The PCC president wanted the district and city Congress committees to be vigilant to avert such incidents. Activists of Youth and Mahila Congress and students wing NSUI should be in touch with the DCC and CCC units in this endeavour, he said.
Replying to a query, Srinivas exuded confidence that there would be no threat to the Kiran Kumar Reddy government. As for some MLAs extending support to Jagan, he said that the party would keep a watch before initiating any action against them.