Congress Leader Removed From Party Posts For Addressing Rahul Gandhi As ‘Pappu’

A senior Congress member from Uttar Pradesh has been removed from all party positions for referring to party vice president Rahul Gandhi as "pappu". As per a report in the Times Of India, Vinay Pradhan, the party's Meerut district president referred to Gandhi as "pappu" in a social media message that was meant to laud his recent attempt to visit Mandsaur.

The message circulated on a WhatsApp group said, "Pappu could have joined hands with Adani, Ambani and Mallya but he did not do that. Pappu could have been a minister or even the prime minister, but he did not go down that road. Instead, he put his life on the line by going to Mandsaur."

For such praiseworthy actions, Ramkrishna Dwivedi, chairman of the disciplinary committee in Congress, issued a letter announcing Pradhan's removal from all party posts for the "provocative" message.

As per TOI, Dwivedi said in the letter: "This is an attempt to malign the party leadership. Other parties appear to be involved in this. It is also an effort to divert attention from the main issues, like the plight of farmers in Madhya Pradesh," also adding that, "Vinay Pradhan is guilty of violating the constitution of Congress party."

Pradhan told TOI that the message in question was not sent by him, and he wasn't given an opportunity to clarify. He is now seeking an appointment with Rahul Gandhi to explain the matter to him.