HYDERABAD: Former Union minister Sarve Satyanrayana, who was reportedly suspended on Sunday, claimed that All India Congress Committee (AICC) disciplinary action committee chairman AK Antony was surprised to hear about the entire matter.

The former Union minister met Antony and presented his case. Speaking to media personnel on Thursday, Satyanarayana said that Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Uttam Kumar Reddy did not have the authority to suspend him from the party.

During a review meeting in Hyderabad, Satyanarayana had given vent to his anger against Uttam Kumar Reddy and AICC State affairs in-charge RC Khuntia, claiming that they were responsibile for the party’s dismal performance in the Assembly elections. He also called for their removal from their present posts. He also allegedly threw a bottle at TPCC general secretary Bollu Kishan. There after, messages were circulated that Satyanarayana was suspended. He said that this was done to ‘tarnish his image’.