Guwahati, April 21: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has clarified that, contrary to reports in a section of media, the party has, till Friday afternoon, not received any official order from the All India Congress Committee (AICC) regarding any decision taken to suspend Assam Pradesh Youth Congress president Angkita Dutta from the primary membership of the party.
Notably, APCC had on Thursday issued a show-cause notice issued to Dutta hours for making the internal party issues public by levelling allegations of harassment against the national youth Congress president, Srinivas BV.
In an audio message to the media on Friday, APCC president Bhupen Kumar Borah dismissed information given to the media by APCC working president Kamalakshya Purkayastha (that Dutta has been suspended from the party) as “unofficial” for which Purkayastha would be held accountable.
“The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has not informed the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) of any decision to suspend Angkita Dutta from the party,” Borah said.
The APCC chief said Dutta has already submitted a reply to the show-cause notice issued by the APCC and that her reply has been forwarded to the All India Congress Committee.
Earlier, Borah said that he had requested Dutta not to make any statements in the media as there was a grievance mechanism within the party, to which she had agreed.
“But you (Angkita Dutta) have decided to go ahead with public confrontation rather than heeding to party discipline despite my assurance to resolve the matter,” he stated in the notice on Thursday, asking her to show cause within 24 hours why disciplinary action should not be taken against her.
According to the APCC chief, Dutta has not submitted any verbal or written complaint about her allegations to the Congress’ general secretary in charge of Assam. “Such a stand goes against party discipline,” Borah said.
Reacting to the show-cause notice issued to her, Dutta told mediapersons on Friday that it was the prerogative of the party to take such a step even as she, as a woman, was only speaking up for her rights.