Congress Takes Action: Two Former MLAs Expelled, Show Cause Notice Issued

Following its loss in the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, the Congress party has expelled two former MLAs, Brihaspat Singh and Dr Vinay Jaiswal, for alleged anti-party activities. The move comes after the partys defeat in the polls, where the BJP secured a majority.

Following its defeat in the recent Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, the Congress party in India has taken disciplinary action against some of its members. On Thursday, December 14, the party expelled two former MLAs and issued a show cause notice to a former minister for alleged anti-party activities and statements.

Expulsion of Brihaspat Singh and Dr. Vinay Jaiswal

Brihaspat Singh and Dr. Vinay Jaiswal, who were Congress MLAs in the outgoing Assembly, have been expelled from the party for a period of six years. The decision was taken due to their alleged involvement in anti-party activities. Singh and Jaiswal were denied tickets for the 2023 Assembly elections, and they subsequently made several accusations against senior party leaders following the poll debacle.

Singh, the former MLA from Ramanujganj ST constituency, held AICC general secretary and party in charge for Chhattisgarh Kumari Shejla and former deputy chief minister T.S. Singhdeo responsible for the party's defeat in the election. In July 2021, Singh had also accused Singh Deo of orchestrating an attack on a vehicle of his follower guard and alleged a threat to his life from the latter.

Jaiswal, who was elected as an MLA for the first time from Manendragarh in 2018, claimed after the Congress lost the polls that he had given money to AICC national secretary and in-charge for state Chandan Yadav. The expulsion order issued by the party states that baseless allegations were leveled by Singh and Jaiswal against the state in-charge and senior leaders after the declaration of the Assembly poll results on December 3.

Show Cause Notice to Jai Singh Agrawal

In addition to the expulsions, the Congress party has also issued a show cause notice to former minister Jai Singh Agrawal. The notice was issued in response to Agrawal's press conference after the Assembly poll results, during which he raised questions about the previous Congress government and indirectly made serious allegations against the former Chief Minister.

The party stated that Agrawal's statement had tarnished the image of the party and asked him to furnish a clarification within three days. Agrawal had criticized the centralized power structure within the party and accused former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel of lacking collective leadership, focusing only on rural seats, and creating an atmosphere of conflict within the party. Agrawal, a three-term MLA, suffered defeat in the recent elections from the Korba seat against BJP's Lakahnlal Dewangan by a margin of 25,629 votes.

The Congress party's actions against its former members in Chhattisgarh reflect the party's efforts to address internal dissent and maintain discipline within its ranks. The expulsions and show cause notice serve as a warning to those who engage in activities that are deemed detrimental to the party's interests.