New Delhi: The All-India Congress Committee (AICC) on Tuesday decided to take disciplinary action against senior leader K V Thomas for recently attending a seminar organised by the CPM ignoring his party's order.
It is likely that he will be removed from all official positions held in the party, Manorama News reported.
The disciplinary committee of the party headed by veteran leader AK Antony has submitted the recommendations of the panel to party president Sonia Gandhi.
“The action to be taken against Thomas will be announced by Sonia Gandhi,” disciplinary committee secretary Tariq Anwar said.
Currently, Thomas is a member of the AICC and the Political Affairs Committee of the party in Kerala.
The disciplinary committee also took decision on the fate of senior Punjab leader Sunil Jakhar.
While Thomas has replied to the show-cause notice issued by the panel, Jakhar had not.
The disciplinary panel, chaired by Antony, took up the matter after Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran requested the AICC to initiate disciplinary action against Thomas.
Sudhakaran had termed Thomas a traitor for attending the seminar on the sidelines of CPM's national conclave at Kannur earlier this month. Both the state leadership and the party high command had forbidden him from attending.
The KPCC had barred him from attending the seminar citing the ongoing protest against the CPM-led government's aggressive push for SilverLine rail project. The AICC too had asked him to abide by the state leadership's decision.
However, Thomas slammed the leadership for barring him. He contested that matter of centre-state relations (the topic of the seminar he attended) was a national issue. He also argued that in the past Congress leaders including Antony have either praised rival CPM leaders or attended the latter party's functions upon getting the invite.
Taking part in the seminar Thomas had hailed Marxist veteran and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as the 'pride of Kerala'. This too has provoked the KPCC.
Meanwhile, Jhakar was served show-cause notice over his remarks "against party line" and former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
