Only Dhariwal replies to AICC’s show-cause notice

Jaipur: Of the three Congress leaders who were served notice for ‘grave indiscipline’ by the AICC disciplinary committee after the majority of the ruling party MLAs boycotted a CLP meeting convened on September 25 at the chief minister’s residence in Jaipur and had held a parallel meeting, only parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal confirmed to have sent his reply to the notice.
Party chief whip and PHED minister Mahesh Joshi claimed that he had got the notice only on Thursday and would reply in the next ten days.
RTDC chairman Dharmendra Rathore was the third leader who served notice but did not respond to phone calls and messages.
Dhariwal said, he had sent a detailed reply to the AICC disciplinary committee on Wednesday. The party had asked the three leaders to reply within 10 days and Thursday was the last day to reply.
The alleged parallel meeting of the MLAs loyal to the chief minister was held at the official residence of Dhariwal and they left for their homes after submitting their resignations to the speaker. They were protesting against any decision of the high command to appoint former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot to the top post.
The Congress high command had ordered a CLP meeting in the wake of CM Gehlot expressing his wish to fight for the Congress presidential election. The CLP was convened to pass a one-line resolution authorizing the party high command to choose the Gehlot’s successor.
PHED minister Mahesh Joshi informed the party high command that he received the notice only on Thursday and would reply within ten days by e-mail, sources close to him said.