Show cause notice served on MLA

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 12. Asserting that he did not discriminate between any individual or group in maintaining discipline within the party, the AICC(I) general secretary, Mr. Kamal Nath, said today that a "show cause" notice had been issued to the Bawana MLA, Mr. Surinder Kumar, for voting along with the BJP and against the Chief Minister in the Delhi Jal Board elections in April this year.

Mr. Kamal Nath said he was not here to promote any individual or group and for him the interests of the Congress and the party president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, were of foremost importance. ``I had issued a show cause notice to Mr. Surinder Kumar, after the Chief Minister, Ms. Sheila Dikshit, had brought this fact to my notice. His siding with the BJP was something serious. There might have been certain compulsions, but that does not mean that he would go and vote with the BJP against the party line or the Chief Minister,'' he added.

Mr. Nath said Mr. Kumar was pardoned only after he came up with a credible explanation about his conduct and expressed regrets over his siding with the BJP. Similarly, he said notice was issued to Ms. Kiran Walia, only after receiving a report from the DPCC(I) president, Mr. Subhash Chopra, and no motives should be attributed. ``She had met me along with a delegation of teachers. She has to submit her reply in writing. I do not want to jump to any conclusions and the issue would be sorted out in accordance with the party norms,'' he added.

Interestingly, Mr. Kumar, as vice-chairman of the Delhi Jal Board, had voted against the party resolution and taken up cudgels against the Chief Minister. He had refused to vote in favour of the party stand and had sided with the BJP. But being close to the party president, Mr. Subhash Chopra and the former Outer Delhi MP, Mr. Sajjan Kumar, the matter was laid to rest. Despite complaints by the Chief Minister about Mr. Kumar, the DPCC(I) president did not take any action. It was left to Mr. Kamal Nath to do the needful.

Interestingly, while the show cause notice to Mr. Surinder Kumar was not even allowed to see the light of day, a similar instance of Ms. Kiran Walia receiving a notice was deliberately leaked to embarrass the Chief Minister. It is understood that it was under pressure from Mr.Sajjan Kumar that the DPCC(I) president sat on the show cause notice and also the subsequent reply by the MLA.

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