Pune: Disappointed by the absence of several party MPs during its protest in New Delhi demanding the removal of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, All India Congress Committee (AICC) has directed all lawmakers missing in action to report to the national capital as early as possible.Congress holds 13 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, but several of its senior state MPs failed to attend the New Delhi protests. “Out of the 13 MPs from the state, four to five did not travel to Delhi at all during the protest. Some participated initially but were not present on all days. They have now been explicitly told to be present in Delhi,” a senior Congress member said.Newly appointed Congress in-charge for Maharashtra, Sirivella Prasad, contacted every MP from the state to convey the AICC’s directive. Speaking to TOI, Prasad said, “I have personally spoken to every MP from the state on the phone. One of our MPs is currently hospitalised and will be unable to attend. However, the rest will join the team to demonstrate the party’s collective strength.”INDIA bloc, led primarily by Congress, has escalated protests demanding removal of Gyanesh Kumar. During demonstrations, senior leaders, including leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were detained by Delhi Police on two consecutive days. However, several Congress MPs failed to show up for all three days of protests, a lapse the AICC has taken serious note of, prompting them to instruct state in-charges to contact each absent lawmaker.As political tensions escalate in the national capital over the SIR controversy, Congress plans to launch state-level agitations in Maharashtra, where the SIR exercise is still underway. “Congress party has 62,000 booth level agents in Maharashtra. We will connect with all of them to gather feedback on the ongoing exercise. Based on their reports, the party will actively take up issues pertaining to the SIR in the state,” Prasad said.
