Sunil Jakhar fails to reply to Congress disciplinary panel notice, faces action
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 19
Former Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar is all set to face action after he failed to reply to the January 11 show cause notice served on him by the party’s disciplinary committee.
The disciplinary panel headed by former defence minister AK Antony had given Jakhar a week’s time to respond. The deadline ended today.
The committee had served show cause notices on Jakhar and former union food minister KV Thomas. Thomas has responded, panel member Tariq Anwar said today.
“We had served show cause notices on both leaders and sought a reply within a week, but we have not received Sunil Jakhar’s reply. The disciplinary committee will hold its meeting in the next day or two and take appropriate action, which includes suspension or expulsion,” Anwar said today.
Jakhar for his part said the committee which had served the notice was well within its rights to do what it deemed fit.
“I have not replied to the notice. That is a fact. Whatever the committee does, they are well within their rights. They have given a notice and it is up to them to take whatever decision they take,” Jakhar said.
Noting that he was still with the Congress, the former PCC chief was silent on any potential future plans.
Jakhar is facing a notice for remarks on Punjab election eve that “he got the maximum 42 MLA votes in the race for Punjab chief minister-ship after Amarinder Singh was removed, Sukhjinder Randhawa got 16, Charanjit Singh Channi, the Congress’ pick for the post two votes, Navjot Sidhu six and Preneet Kaur 12”.
After the Congress party’s poll debacle in Punjab, Jakhar had described Channi as a liability for the Congress in Punjab.
KV Thomas was showcaused for attending a conference called by the CPM, Congress party’s principal rival in Kerala, despite party chief Sonia Gandhi instructing state leaders not to go against the state unit line on the matter. Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, who also had the invite to the same event on April 9, dropped out after Sonia’s nudge but Thomas went ahead.
