''Noisy scenes'' at Cong conclave before Sonia's arrival

Rajiv Nagar, Kanpur, Mar 31 (UNI) A day after the Congress emphasised that the issue of discipline within the party was a real concern to gain its lost glory in Uttar Pradesh, the conclave witnessed some ''disorderly scenes'' party just before the arrival of AICC President Sonia Gandhi here today.

A precarious situation arose when senior Congress leader Jagdambika Pal during his speech at the concluding session of the two-day party conclave here, talked about the ''inaction'' of the party over some vital issues and alleged his party was being defensive in its political positioning.

His remarks triggered protests from the delegates, who shouted at him creating an ugly scene at the venue. Despite the uproar, Mr Pal continued his speech till Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) President Reeta Bahuguna Joshi intervened to bring the situation under control.

Yesterday, the UPCC chief had warned the leaders to maintain discipline as the party was waging a decisive political battle in the largest state of the country ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

However, the situation, which witnessed noisy scenes for 20 minutes, came back to normal only after the announcement of Ms Gandhi's arrival at the venue was made.

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