Suspension from Congress 'impulsive and undemocratic': Jagmeet Singh Brar

NEW DELHI: The Congress' decision to suspend him was an "impulsive and undemocratic" one, former Congress Working Committee member Jagmeet Singh Brar said today as he charged that the action by the party had been taken in the "clumsiest manner".
Congress had last week suspended Brar and rebel party MP from Haryana, Chaudhary Birender Singh, for "gross indiscipline" and "deliberately lowering the prestige of the party".

The action against Brar, an ex-MP and former member of the party's apex decision-making body -- Congress Working Committee -- came days after he criticised the party's functioning and suggested that Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi should take a break and hand over the party's reins to somebody else.

Brar was slapped with a notice by the Punjab state Congress. The issue was referred to the Central Disciplinary Committee following a report from the AICC general secretary in charge of the state.

In a press release here, Brar has charged that other senior Congress leaders like Digvijay Singh and Janardan Dwivedi had made "far more inflammatory" and "damaging" statements against the party.

He also resented that his suspension had been clubbed with that of Birender Singh. Brar accused Sonia of "grave discrimination" on this count.

"The time has come when the party should concentrate on ideas and ideals and not on personalities," he said.

Announcing the action against Brar and Birender Singh on August 14, Congress had said that its Central Disciplinary Committee had, on the basis of facts, found both guilty and recommended their immediate suspension from the party.

Brar, however, has claimed that the meeting of the high- powered Disciplinary Committee of AICC was never called to discuss his suspension and neither was he called before it. Alleging that the suspension was carried out in the "clumsiest manner," Brar said he is yet to receive the suspension order.

Insisting that he has been "loyal" to Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia and loved the children (Rahul and Priyanka) as his own family, he asked the Congress President to "think, evaluate before taking such drastic steps".