Lucknow, Nov 21 (IANS): With Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi choosing to turn a blind eye to the simmering discontent in the Uttar Pradesh Congress, the senior in the party are firming up their stand against the new state leadership.
Merely 40 of the 350 invitees to a meeting of former Congress MPs, MLAs, MLCs and 2017 Vidhan Sabha and 2019 Lok Sabha election candidates turned up at the UP Congress headquarters on Wednesday.
Party veterans have held two meetings in past fortnight to express their resentment against the 'undemocratic and arbitrary' manner in which the new leadership has been imposed on them.
The first meeting took place at the residence of Haji Siraj Mehndi in November first week. Mehndi had tendered resignation to Sonia in October, in protest against the exclusion of Shia representation in the new committee.
The second meeting was held last week at the residence of former MP Santosh Singh and was attended by over two dozen former MPs and MLAs.
Another meeting, the third in a row, is likely to be held at former MLA Ranjan Singh Solanki's residence in Noida where members of the delegation for meeting Sonia Gandhi will be chosen.
One of them said on Thursday: "What is the point of attending a meeting convened by 'irrelevant' leaders. We have sought time from the Congress president to apprise her of the situation. If the issues are not addressed, we will decide our future course of action."
Ever since Priyanka Gandhi appointed Ajay Kumar Lallu as UPCC chief last month, all senior leaders have stayed away from the UP Congress office.
"Lallu is clear that he does not want any senior around him. He has not even bothered to make a courtesy call to former UPCC presidents and invite them for events. Why would anyone want to come here and be unwanted," asked a senior leader.
Lallu is also being criticized for appointing close aide Anoop Gupta as in-charge of administrative committee-a post that has always been held by someone senior in the organization.
When asked, the UPCC president brushed away the issue saying, "Congress is a big joint family, so difference of opinion is natural."