Senior Congress leaders seek Ajay Maken removal

New Delhi: Senior Congress leaders Sheila Dikshit, Kapil Sibal, Haroon Yusuf petitioned party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, demanding the removal of Ajay Maken as the Delhi Congress president.

Mr Gandhi had reinstated Mr Maken after he had resigned as the Congress’ Delhi unit chief following the party’s poor show in the last month’s civic elections. Former Delhi chief minister Ms Dikshit and other Congress leaders had openly blamed him for failing to take senior leaders along.

While leaders such as Ms Dikshit and Haroon Yusuf stayed away from the party campaign, former Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely had joined BJP days ahead of the municipal elections.  

The petition was also signed by senior leaders like Sandeep Dikshit, Jitender Kochar, Mangat Ram Singhal, Raj Kumar Chauhan, Yoganand Shastri and Onika Mehrotra. The disgruntled leaders met Congress vice-president last week, sources said.

AICC in-charge of Delhi P.C. Chacko, whose resignation was also sought by the petitioners, is also said to have attended the meeting. Mr Chacko too had offered to resign following the party’s poll debacle.