Congress suspends party leader Sanjay Jha

Maharahtra Congress has suspended estranged Congress leader Sanjay Jha with immediate effect. Jha was recently suspended as Congress Spokesperson.

Maharashtra wing of Congress posted the announcement on Twitter, saying, “Sanjay Jha has been suspended from the Congress Party with immediate effect for anti-party activities and breach of discipline”.

Jha has updated his Twitter bio as well, saying, “Congressi by DNA. Sacked as National Spokesperson for writing:” India needs a reawakened and revitalized Congress, ready to win the second freedom struggle”.

He had also tweeted his resentment after Congress sacked Sachin Pilot from the post of Rajasthan party chief and Deputy Chief Minister.

He had written on Twitter, “For five years Sachin Pilot gave his blood , tears, toil and sweat for the Congress party between 2013-18. The Congress came back from a wretched 21 seats to 100. We just gave him a performance bonus. We are so meritocratic. We are so transparent.”

Earlier this month, Jha took to Twitter to announce his decision to resign as President of the All India Professionals’ Congress, Maharashtra.

“I have submitted my resignation as President, AlPC, Maharashtra. My political outspokenness conflicts with my official position. I am glad my signature #AIPCInteractive brand is being used by the Congress. :-) @ShashiTharoor is a delight to work with. Thanks all!” Jha said in his tweet.

In June this year, Jha was also removed as an official spokesperson of the Indian National Congress (INC).

The development came close on the heels of a newspaper editorial he wrote where he was critical of the Congress party. An official statement over his removal said, “Congress president has also approved that Sanjay Jha be dropped as AICC spokesperson with immediate effect.”

President of the INC, Sonia Gandhi had at the same time approved the appointment of Abhishek Dutt and Sadhna Bharti as national media panelists for the party.

Jha, in his article, had written, “I would like to call a spade a spade here and a shovel: there has been no serious effort to get the party up and running with any sense of urgency.”

“There are many in the party who cannot comprehend this perceptible listlessness. For someone like me, for instance, permanently wedded to Gandhian philosophy and Nehruvian outlook that defines the Congress, it is dismaying to see its painful disintegration,” Sanjay Jha had gone on to say.