After Manish Tewari, Pramod Krishnan episodes, Congress netas to receive advice on party line

NEW DELHI: Embarrassed by the recent incidents of party leaders taking contradictory stands from the party’s official line, the Congress has decided that from now on, it will inform the party’s view to all senior leaders on important issues and expect a strict adherence to it.

The decision comes after two recent incidents involving Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari and party leader Acharya Pramod Krishnan towing a different line from that of the party.  

The grand old party has decided that a communication advisory will be issued to senior leaders to inform the party line on critical issues.

Tewari and Jairam Ramesh were engaged in a Twitter spat over the Centre’s Agnipath scheme.

Similarly, Krishnan, a supporter of Sachin Pilot, had criticised the party-led Rajasthan government over the brutal killing of a tailor in Udaipur.   

Meanwhile, the Congress' Disciplinary Committee in Karnataka on Thursday said notices will be issued to party leaders M R Seetharam and M D Lakshminarayana for publicly attacking the leadership.

The panel chief K Rahman Khan said, no one, irrespective of seniority, should speak lightly about the party.

"It has come to our notice that Seetharam held a separate meeting where he spoke about party leaders. Prime facie, it looks like an anti-party activity. Be it Seetharam or someone more senior, we will look into it and notice will be given, seeking explanation," Khan said, adding that he was waiting for party's state president D K Shivakumar to return from New Delhi.

Recently, Seetharam organised a programme with his supporters where he slammed the Congress leadership for "injustice" he claimed to have faced over the years.

Lakshminarayana, who is Congress' OBC cell chief, had recently dubbed Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar as “unfit”.

Monsoon session from July 18

The Monsoon Session of Parliament will commence on July 18 and will conclude on August 12. The session will start with the presidential election on July 18 and will see the vice-presidential election on August 6.

The new president will be administered the oath of office in the Central Hall on July 25.

(With PTI Updates)