State Cong chief reinstates expelled members

Bhubaneswar: Newly appointed state Congress president Bhakta Charan Das on Friday issued an order that nullified previous suspensions and dismissals of party leaders. According to the directive, all previously suspended or expelled party members were readmitted.
On April 15 last year, Jatni MLA Suresh Routray was expelled from Congress for allegedly campaigning for his younger son Manmath, who was a BJD candidate for the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat.
The order also extended an invitation to former members who joined other political parties to rejoin the Congress. Das said he would take out a Sankalp Padyatra from Bhubaneswar to Puri Jagannath Temple on Feb 18.TNN